History and Facts

In 1973, the Norwegian people had experienced successive conservative and socialist governments, all of which had increased the burden of taxes and the level of government intervention; voters simply had no alternatives to these high taxation policies. As a result of this predicament, a new party, named Anders Lange's Party for a Strong Reduction in Taxes, Duties and Public Intervention (ALP), was founded. These ideas are as present today as there were then, as the mission statement of the Progress Party is:

The Progress Party is a classical liberal party that shall work for a major reduction in taxes, duties and government intervention, and for the safeguarding of the rights of the people and their freedom, as the Constitution presupposes.

The Party changed its name to the Progress Party in 1977, and is today Norway's second largest political party and the leading party on the right of the political centre in Norway. In the parliamentary election of 2009 in Norway, the Progress Party received 22.9 percent of the votes, the best election results in the history of the Progress Party. It is now represented by 41 out of 169 members in the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament).

At present, the Progress Party has approximately 27,000 members. Membership is steadily increasing and has more than doubled over the past ten years. The Progress Party is represented in all 19 counties, and in more than 350 local constituencies. For almost four decades, the Progress Party has been the foremost political force pushing for free-market reforms and liberalization in Norway. From the energy sector to the telecom sector to the aviation sector, the Progress Party was the first political party to propose liberalization and competition in Norway.

For decades, the Progress Party seemed to be the only political party in Norway discussing immigration and the challenges of state multiculturalism. The same relates to other policy areas as well, such as the issue of foreign aid to developing countries or monetary policy. For years the Progress Party has been the foremost voice in warning against too much reliance on foreign aid, and at the same time has been the most steadfast advocate of global free trade in Norwegian politics.

The Progress Party has, since its beginning almost 40 years ago, been synonymous with political change.

A change for the better.