This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
OSLO, Norway - Norway was poised for a power shift after the left-leaning opposition won a majority of seats in Parliament with pledges to spend more of the nation's vast oil wealth on welfare, official election results showed early today.
With more than 96 percent of votes counted, a three-party coalition led by the Labor party had grabbed 88 seats in the 169-seat assembly, enough to oust the center-right government.
Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, who campaigned on promises of tax cuts, said that if the final tally confirmed the result, his government would resign after presenting its draft 2006 budget Oct. 14.
Labor leader Jens Stoltenberg, who campaigned on a pledge to spend more of the nation's oil money on welfare, said the opposition Red-Green alliance would start talks in the next few days on forming a coalition majority government.
''In this campaign we had two goals: a strong election for Labor and a chance to form a majority government. The one goal has been reached, the other is within reach,'' said Stoltenberg, a 46-year-old former prime minister.
Bondevik acknowledged his days as prime minister were likely over, saying: ''I am disappointed by such a political defeat, but we had been prepared for the possibility.''
Bondevik's government has presided over four years of unprecedented prosperity in the country of 4.6 million, and the nation's wealth has been boosted by a windfall from record high oil prices. But critics complained of cracks in the welfare state, including shortcomings in education and health care.