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.

In 1977, the party changed its name to the Progress Party, and, is today, Norway’s second largest political party and the leading party on the right of the political centre in Norway. It is represented by 38 out of 169 members in Stortinget (the Norwegian Parliament) and holds several key positions in the Parliament. These include:

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Health and Care Services (Mr. Harald Tom Nesvik)

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs (Mr. Lodve Solholm)

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (Mr. Per Sandberg)

Vice-President of Parliament (Mr. Carl I Hagen)

At present, the Progress Party has approximately 25000 registered members, of which 2500 are elected officials. Membership is steadily increasing and has more than doubled over the past ten years. The Progress Party is represented in all 19 counties, including 360 local constituencies and has 19 Mayors.