NORWAY’S JUMP TO LEFT

Norway’s left-wing opposition, headed by Labour Party leader Jonas Gahr Store, has won the country’s general election after a campaign dominated by questions about the future of the key oil industry in Western Europe’s largest producer.

The five opposition parties were set to win 98 of the 169 seats in parliament, enough to unseat the centre-right coalition headed by Conservative Erna Solberg.

Labour and Mr Store, who will in all likelihood become prime minister, could possibly win an absolute majority in parliament with its preferred allies, the Centre Party and the Socialist Left. That would avoid the need to rely on the support of the Greens, who want an immediate end to oil exploration in Norway.

Mr Store has rejected that ultimatum, preferring a gradual transition away from the country’s oil-based economy.