Christian People's Party Kristelig Folkeparti | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=logo} | |
| Abbreviation | KrF |
| Leader | Dag Inge Ulstein |
| Founders | Nils Lavik[1] ... and 21 others
|
| Founded | 4 September 1933 (1933-09-04) inBergen |
| Headquarters | Øvre Slottsgate 18–20 0154,Oslo |
| Newspaper | Folkets Framtid (1947–2005) |
| Youth wing | Young Christian Democrats |
| Membership(2023) |  15,000[4] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| Religion | Church of Norway |
| European affiliation | European People's Party (observer) |
| Nordic affiliation | Centre Group |
| Colours |
|
| Anthem | Ta vare på livet[5] |
| Storting | 7 / 169 |
| County Councils | 29 / 664 |
| Municipal Councils | 396 / 9,122 |
| Sami Parliament | 0 / 39 |
| Website | |
krf | |
TheChristian Democratic Party (Bokmål:Kristelig Folkeparti,Nynorsk:Kristeleg Folkeparti,lit. 'Christian People's Party',KrF;Northern Sami:Risttalaš Álbmotbellodat) is aChristian-democratic[6][7][8][9]political party in Norway founded in 1933. The party is an observer member of theEuropean People's Party (EPP). It currently holds seven seats in the Parliament, having won 4.2% of the vote in the2025 parliamentary election. The current leader of the party isDag Inge Ulstein.[10]
The Christian Democrats' leader from 1983 to 1995,Kjell Magne Bondevik, was one of the most prominent political figures in modern Norway, serving asPrime Minister from 1997 to 2000 and 2001 to 2005. Under the old leadership of Bondevik andValgerd Svarstad Haugland, the party to some extent moved in a more liberal direction. Due largely to their poor showing in the2009 elections, the party has seen a conflict between its conservative and liberal wings.[11] Until 2019, the leader wasKnut Arild Hareide, who led the party into a more liberal direction as part of a "renewal" process,[12][13] and introducedclimate change andenvironmentalism as the party's most important issues.[14] However, the liberal turn ended in 2019 and the party has since moved sharply to the right. Hareide wanted the party to cooperate with the social democrats, but narrowly lost an internal struggle to the faction that wanted to collaborate with theProgress Party.[15]
The Christian Democratic Party was founded as a reaction to the growing secularism inNorway in the 1930s. Cultural and spiritual values were proposed as an alternative to political parties focusing on material values. The immediate cause of its foundation was the failure ofNils Lavik, a popular figure in the religious community, to be nominated as a candidate for theLiberal Party, for the parliamentary elections in 1933. In reaction to this, Kristelig Folkeparti was set up, with Lavik as their top candidate in the county ofHordaland. He succeeded in being elected toStortinget, the Norwegian parliament. No other counties were contested. At the next elections, in 1936, the party also ran a common list with the Liberal Party inBergen, and succeeded in electing two representatives from Hordaland with 20.9% of the local votes.[16] In 1945, at the first elections after the Nazi occupation of Norway, the party was organised on a nationwide basis, and won 8 seats.
The Christian Democrats became part of a short-lived non-socialist coalition government along with theConservative Party, the Liberal Party and theCentre Party in 1963. At the elections of 1965, these four parties won a majority of seats in Stortinget and ruled in a coalition government from 1965 to 1971.
The Christian Democrats opposed Norwegian membership in theEuropean Community ahead of the referendum in 1972. The referendum gave a no-vote, and when the pro-ECLabour government resigned, a coalition government was formed among the anti-EC parties, the Christian Democrats, the Liberal Party and the Centre Party.Lars Korvald became the Christian Democrats' first prime minister for a year, until the elections of 1973 restored the Labour government.
The party's historic membership numbers peaked with 69,000 members in 1980.[17]
The 1981 elections left the non-socialists with a majority in parliament, but negotiations for a coalition government failed because of disagreement over the abortion issue.[18] However, this issue was later toned down, and from 1983 to 1986 and 1989 to 1990, the Christian Democrats were part of coalitions with the Conservative Party and the Centre Party.
In 1997, the Christian Democrats received 13.7% of the votes, and got 25 seats in the Storting.Kjell Magne Bondevik served as prime minister between 1997 and 2000, in coalition with the Liberal Party and the Centre Party, and then between 2001 and 2005 with the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party.
In the 2005 election, the Christian Democrats received only 6.8%, and the party became part of the opposition in the Storting. In 2013, the Conservative Party and the Progress Party formed a new government based on a political agreement with the Christian Democrats and the Liberal party withconfidence and supply. In the 2017 election, the party got only 4.2% and did not sign a new agreement, but got a politically strategic position as the conservative minority government mainly depended on their votes to get a majority.
In late 2018, the Christian Democrats were split over the question of a potential government participation and the future direction of the party. At a party meeting in early November 2018, the delegates were asked whether to stay in opposition or to join either a "red" or a "blue" government coalition with party leaderKnut Arild Hareide favouring a centre-left government withLabour andCentre parties, and deputy leadersOlaug Bollestad andKjell Ingolf Ropstad wanting to join the existing right-leaningcabinet of Erna Solberg. The delegates decided with a narrow majority of eight votes to join the existingSolberg's Cabinet withConservatives,Liberals and theProgress Party.[19] In January 2019, after successful negotiations with the coalition parties the Christian Democrats eventually joined the government and Hareide resigned as party leader.[20] In April 2019, 33-year-oldMinister of Children and FamilyKjell Ingolf Ropstad was elected new party leader.[21]
The Christian Democrats failed to pass the 4%election threshold forleveling seats in the 2021 election and won only three seats in parliament.[22] The party leader Ropstad, facing controversy over his use of a parliamentary commuter home, resigned from the cabinet and as party leader on 24 September and Olaug Bollestad assumed leadership of the party.[23] In 2024,Dag Inge Ulstein assumed leadership of the party[24], and the party more than doubled their representation in the Storting to seven in the2025 elections.[25]
The Christian Democratic Party is acentre-right political party.[26][27][28][29][30][31] The party holds European Christian democratic positions, includingfamily values andsocial conservatism.[32] While founded on the basis of advocating moral-cultural Christian issues, the party has broadened or shrunk its political profile over time, while still maintaining right-wing positions.
As a party centred on Christian values, the party draws support from the Christian population. Their policies that support Christian values and oppose same-sex marriage appeal to the more conservative, religious base.[33]
Geographically, the Christian Democrats enjoy their strongest support in the so-calledBible Belt, especiallySouthern Norway.[citation needed] In the 2005 elections, their best results were inVest-Agder with 18.9% of the vote, compared to a national average of 6.8%.[34]
Since the party was established, a declaration of Christian faith had been required for a person to be a representative in the party. Membership had no such requirement. The increase of support for the party from other religious groups, such as Muslims,[35] stimulated efforts to abolish this rule.[36] At the 2013 convention the rule was modified. The new rules require that representatives work for Christian values but do not require them to declare a Christian faith.[37] This latter point was considered the "last drop" for some conservative elements of the party, who as a result broke away and foundedThe Christians Party.[38] It has been claimed that KrF have lost votes to the Christians.[39]
The Christian Democratic Party is generallysocially conservative.[32]
The party opposeseuthanasia andabortion, except in cases ofrape or when themother's life is at risk. The party supports accessibility to contraception as a way of lowering abortion rates.[40]
KrF wishes to ban research on human foetuses and has expressed scepticism of proposals to liberalise biotechnology laws in Norway.[41] Bondevik's second government made the biotechnology laws of Norway among the strictest in the world, with support from theSocialist Left Party and theCentre Party, but a 2004 case involving a child withthalassemia brought the laws under fire.[42][43]
OnLGBT issues, the party supports permitting same-sex couples to live together but opposes same-sex marriage and adoption rights. The party has criticized the Polish government's policy towards LGBT people, and supported the Norwegian government's decision to withdraw financial support to Polish municipalities that have declared themselves asLGBT-free zones.[44] The party's leader at the time,Kjell Ingolf Ropstad, stated: "To not be discriminated against because of one's sexual orientation is a fundamental human right. Therefore, it is important that the government now is clear about the terms of receiving financial support through the EEA funds. We want to support a policy that protects diversity and freedom." The party maintains neutrality on the issue of gay clergy, calling that an issue for the Church.[45] As of 2024, the party promotesanti-gender andanti-trans rhetoric, attacking what they refer to as "gender ideology."[46][47]
Inforeign policy, the party marks itself as a supporter ofNATO and theEuropean Economic Area (EEA) but they oppose Norwegian membership in theEuropean Union (EU). The party supports Norway's signature and ratification of the UNTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons[48] and want stricter rules for Norwegian arms sales abroad.[citation needed] The party is supportive ofIsrael[49] andUkraine in theRusso-Ukrainian War.[50]
Since the turn of the millennium, the Christian Democratic Party has had a major influence ondevelopment aid policy in Norway. The firstMinister of International Development wasReidun Brusletten (KrF) in 1983.Hilde Frafjord Johnson held the position from 1997 to 2000 and again from 2001 to 2005, duringBondevik's First andSecond Cabinet.[citation needed]
Dag Inge Ulstein, the third Christian Democrat to hold the position, addressed the need to take care of vulnerable minorities in foreign policy and by the use ofhumanitarian aid. He described these group as: women, children,people with disabilities andsexual andreligious minorities.[51]
The Christian Democratic Party is a strong supporter of increased development aid and more cooperation withdeveloping countries. They want 1 percent of the GNI to be spent ondevelopment aid, and a larger share of the sum to be spent onpoverty reduction andclimate change adaptation.[citation needed]
Ulstein has played a prominent role in the global handling of theCOVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on fair distribution of vaccines topoor and middle income countries.[52] As Minister of International Development, he has been the governments spokesperson regarding Norway's contribution in the global fight against COVID-19, which involves the contribution of 2.2 billionNorwegian kroner to vaccine development throughCEPI, in March 2020,[53] and Norway's entry in the global vaccine cooperationCOVAX in August 2020, as one of the first European countries.[54]
In March 2021, it became clear that the Norwegian government had donated 700,000 vaccine doses to low income countries in February the previous year.[55] This created big reactions from other parties, who thought Norway instead should have given the doses to the Norwegian population. The Christian Democratic Party received a lot of criticism, from among others, the leaders of theProgress Party and theCentre Party,Sylvi Listhaug andTrygve Slagsvold Vedum, respectively. Party leader,Kjell Ingolf Ropstad, condemned the criticism and stated: "The last thing the world needs now is more egoism and competition between countries. Instead we need to help each other. We will not succeed in the fight against COVID-19 if we only say "Norway first".[56]
On questions surroundingimmigration,integration andrefugee policy, the party has a liberal stance. The Christian Democratic Party wants to base Norway's intake of refugees on theUN High Commissioner for Refugees' recommendations. In 2021, they announced that they want Norway to take in 5,000 refugees annually, plus 500 extra from theMoria refugee camp onLesbos,Greece.[57]
They have also criticized what they believe is an unfair distribution of refugees fleeing theSyrian civil war due to the fact that Syria's neighbouring countries (Turkey,Jordan andLebanon) have received a higher number of refugees than many European countries.[58] Therefore, they want Norway, andwestern European countries at large, to retrieve a larger amount of refugees from Syria.[59]
The Christian Democratic Party support international climate goals and climate agreements, like theParis agreement. They want to cut Norwegian emissions of carbon by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, and they aim for a climate-neutral Norway by 2050.[60] They have addressed the need for restructuring in theNorwegian petroleum industry and want to end oil and gas exploration in new areas.[61]
Protection of the vulnerable areas ofLofoten,Vesterålen andSenja from oil drilling, has been an important matter for the Christian Democratic Party. After the2017 Norwegian parliamentary election,Knut Arild Hareide, party leader at the time, announced that the Christian Democratic Party would withdraw their support ofSolberg's Cabinet if they opened the areas for oil drilling.[62] When the Christian Democratic Party became part of Solberg's coalition government in January 2019, it was decided that the areas were to be protected until the next election.[63]
At the national congress in 2021, the party proposed the creation of a Norwegian climate fund.[64] The goal of the fund was to outcompete the use of coal power, by investing inrenewable energy in developing countries. The Christian Democrats got the proposal through in theStorting, and a few months later the government decided to establish a climate fund consisting of 1.15 billion dollars. Experts estimated that the fund could result in more than 10 billion dollars in private investment in renewable energy.[65] The deputy leader of the Norwegian environmental organisationZERO, Dagfrid Froberg, described the fund as: "Maybe the most important Norwegian measurement in order to fight climate change."[66]
The Christian Democratic Party wants increased funding of public transport projects outside Oslo, like theBergen Light Rail.[67] They want to accomplish this by making the government finance a larger share of the cost of developing local public transport systems, in order to make public transport more accessible and efficient, especially for people with disabilities.[citation needed]
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Ingebrigt Bjørø | 10,272 | 0.8 | 1 / 150 | New |  7th | Opposition |
| 1936 | 19,612 | 1.3 | 2 / 150 | 1 | 5th | Opposition | |
| 1945 | Nils Lavik | 117,813 | 7.9 | 8 / 150 | 6 | 6th | Opposition |
| 1949 | 147,068 | 8.4 | 9 / 150 | 1 | 5th | Opposition | |
| 1953 | Erling Wikborg | 186,627 | 10.5 | 14 / 150 | 5 | 4th | Opposition |
| 1957 | Einar Hareide | 183,243 | 10.2 | 12 / 150 | 2 | 5th | Opposition |
| 1961[a] | 171,451 | 9.6 | 15 / 150 | 3 | 4th | Opposition(1961–1963) | |
| Coalition(1963) | |||||||
| Opposition(1963–1965) | |||||||
| 1965[a] | 160,331 | 8.1 | 13 / 150 | 2 | 5th | Coalition | |
| 1969[a] | Lars Korvald | 169,303 | 9.4 | 14 / 150 | 1 | 4th | Coalition(1969–1971) |
| Opposition(1971–1972) | |||||||
| Coalition(1972–1973) | |||||||
| 1973[a] | 255,456 | 12.3 | 20 / 155 | 6 |  4th | Opposition | |
| 1977[a] | 224,355 | 12.4 | 22 / 155 | 2 | 3rd | Opposition | |
| 1981[a] | Kåre Kristiansen | 219,179 | 9.4 | 15 / 155 | 7 | 3rd | Opposition(1981–1983) |
| Coalition(1983–1985) | |||||||
| 1985 | Kjell Magne Bondevik | 214,969 | 8.3 | 16 / 157 | 1 | 3rd | Coalition(1985–1986) |
| Opposition(1986–1989) | |||||||
| 1989 | 224,852 | 8.5 | 14 / 165 | 2 | 5th | Coalition(1989–1990) | |
| Opposition(1990–1993) | |||||||
| 1993 | 193,885 | 7.9 | 13 / 165 | 1 | 5th | Opposition | |
| 1997 | 353,082 | 13.7 | 25 / 165 | 12 | 3rd | Coalition(1997–2000) | |
| Opposition(2000–2001) | |||||||
| 2001 | 312,839 | 12.4 | 22 / 165 | 3 | 5th | Coalition | |
| 2005 | Dagfinn Høybråten | 178,885 | 6.8 | 11 / 169 | 11 | 5th | Opposition |
| 2009 | 148,748 | 5.5 | 10 / 169 | 1 | 6th | Opposition | |
| 2013 | Knut Arild Hareide | 158,475 | 5.6 | 10 / 169 | | 4th | External support |
| 2017 | 122,688 | 4.2 | 8 / 169 | 2 | 7th | External support(2017–2019) | |
| Coalition(2019–2021) | |||||||
| 2021 | Kjell Ingolf Ropstad | 113,344 | 3.8 | 3 / 169 | 5 | 9th | Opposition |
| 2025 | Dag-Inge Ulstein | 135,230 | 4.2 | 7 / 169 | 4 | 8th | Opposition |
| Election | Vote % | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1934 | 1.0 | Municipal |
| 1937 | 1.53 | Municipal |
| 1945 | 7.9 | Municipal |
| 1947 | 7.4 | Municipal |
| 1951 | 7.3 | Municipal |
| 1955 | 7.4 | Municipal |
| 1959 | 7.5 | Municipal |
| 1963 | 6.8 | Municipal |
| 1967 | 7.1 | Municipal |
| 1971 | 8.7 | Municipal |
| 1975 | 11.47 12.26 | Municipal County |
| 1979 | 9.84 10.2 | Municipal County |
| 1983 | 8.52 8.8 | Municipal County |
| 1987 | 7.80 8.1 | Municipal County |
| 1991 | 7.81 8.06 | Municipal County |
| 1995 | 8.21 8.50 | Municipal County |
| 1999 | 9.35 10.07 | Municipal County |
| 2003 | 6.42 6.87 | Municipal County |
| 2007 | 6.38 6.72 | Municipal County |
| 2011 | 5.57 5.79 | Municipal County |
| 2015 | 5.4 5.6 | Municipal County |
| 2019 | 4.00 4.5 | Municipal County |
| 2023 | 3.97 4.45 | Municipal County |
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