| Progress Party's Youth Fremskrittspartiets Ungdom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairperson | Simen Velle |
| Founded | 10 February 1978 |
| Headquarters | Karl Johans gate 25,Oslo |
| Ideology | Classical liberalism[1] Right-libertarianism[1] Right-wing populism |
| Colours | Blue |
| Mother party | Progress Party |
| European affiliation | European Young Conservatives |
| Nordic affiliation | Nordens Liberale Ungdom (NLU) |
| Website | fpu.no |
TheProgress Party's Youth (Bokmål:Fremskrittspartiets Ungdom,Nynorsk:Framstegspartiets Ungdom,FpU) is the youth wing of the Norwegianpolitical party theProgress Party. It is generally considered to be more aligned towardsclassical liberalism than the Progress Party.[2] The organization has active chapters in allcounties of Norway as well as in over 50municipalities.
From 2012 to 2014,Himanshu Gulati was the organisation's chairperson. Gulati is the first leader of a youth wing of a major Norwegian political party withmulti-cultural background.[3] After being selected to the post of State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Gulati stepped down. In 2014,Atle Simonsen was elected chairperson[4] Atle sat as chairman until 2016, when the annual national meeting of FpU elected Bjørn-Kristian Svendrud as the organisation's chairman.
The current chairperson isSimen Velle. He was elected in 2022. Velle is a self-described classical liberal, advocating for policies like legalization of drugs, polygamy and sales of organs.[5]
The organization was officially founded by members of theProgress Party (FpU) on the annual party convention on 10–11 February 1978, the same convention whereCarl I. Hagen was elected chairman of the party. The organization's first leader was the future mayor of Oslo,Peter N. Myhre, who served until 1984.
As soon as in 1989, rifts appeared within the FpU between aliberal andconservative faction. In the 1989 election several, hardlinelibertarians such asPål Atle Skjervengen andTor Mikkel Wara gained seats in theStorting and this further weakened the conservatives' position. That same year saw controversial proposals put forth by the liberals regardinggay marriage andimmigration which sparked heated debates within among the youth members.
In 1992, the liberalLars Grønntun was elected leader after a power struggle with Ingvar Myrvollen. This began a period of large-scale infighting which ultimately led to the board dissolving the organization, only to have the decision reversed by the party.[citation needed] After the expulsion of its entire liberal faction during the1994 Progress Party national convention atBolkesjø inTelemark,Ulf Leirstein became the new leader.
Norwegian secondary schools hold school elections. The organization consistently polls better there than its parent party and emerged as the largest party nationwide in 1989, 2003, 2005 and 2009. In 2009, FpU set a new membership record of 3,031 members, although this number sank to 855 in 2020.[6]
In the organization's manifesto, it states: "The Progress Party's Youth supports a free-marked economy, regulated by supply and demand, without interference from government officials. A market economy is the economical system which gives the individual person greatest freedom of action". It also wishes to reform the welfare state with private insurance arrangements and increase privatization in the health and education sector, for one making the public hospitals "compete" with the privately owned hospitals for best possible care.[7] It supports the legalization ofmedicinal cannabis, and more liberal drug laws in general.[8]
Source:[9]