Norwegians have voted on the second and final day of a parliamentary election that remains too close to call between Prime Minister Erna Solberg's centre-right bloc and the centre-left opposition headed by the Labour Party.
Solberg's Conservatives want to cut taxes in a bid to boost growth if they win a fresh mandate, while Labour leader Jonas Gahr Stoere seeks tax hikes to fund better public services such as education and healthcare.
The outcome could also impact Norway's oil industry, as either Solberg or Gahr Stoere is likely to depend on one or more small parties that seek to impose limits on exploration in Arctic waters off the northern coast.
Solberg, voting in the west coast city of Bergen on Monday, expressed cautious hopes of re-election.
"The latest opinion polls show that it is within reach. But it's very dependent on who's managed to mobilise voters in the last days," she said.
For much of the year, Labour and its allies were ahead in the polls and favoured to win a clear victory but support for the government has risen as the economy gradually recovered from a slump in the price of crude oil, Norway's top export.
Share
