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| Norwegians vote in tight election | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Norwegians have started voting in what is expected to be a closely fought poll between the prime minister's Labour Party and the centre-right opposition. | |
| Jens Stoltenberg, in power since 2005, has emphasised his success in guiding Norway through the economic crisis. | Jens Stoltenberg, in power since 2005, has emphasised his success in guiding Norway through the economic crisis. |
| The world's fifth biggest exporter of crude oil experienced only a brief recession and has Europe's lowest unemployment rate. | The world's fifth biggest exporter of crude oil experienced only a brief recession and has Europe's lowest unemployment rate. |
| His main challenger is Siv Jensen, who leads the right-wing Progress Party. | |
| She has campaigned on a platform of lower taxes and tightening immigration. Currently, more than 10% of Norway's population is of foreign origin with the largest groups of asylum seekers coming from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Eritrea. | She has campaigned on a platform of lower taxes and tightening immigration. Currently, more than 10% of Norway's population is of foreign origin with the largest groups of asylum seekers coming from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Eritrea. |
| Norwegians - who pay some of the highest taxes on the planet - have high demands of their public services and often complain about long hospital waiting lists for non-emergency operations and bad roads. | Norwegians - who pay some of the highest taxes on the planet - have high demands of their public services and often complain about long hospital waiting lists for non-emergency operations and bad roads. |
| But in a debate on Sunday, Mr Stoltenberg said voters could not expect a "social-democratic paradise". | But in a debate on Sunday, Mr Stoltenberg said voters could not expect a "social-democratic paradise". |
| Ms Jensen hit back saying: "I believe you won't build a social-democratic paradise by Tuesday because you've been at it since the war and you still haven't managed it." | Ms Jensen hit back saying: "I believe you won't build a social-democratic paradise by Tuesday because you've been at it since the war and you still haven't managed it." |
| The Progress Party has pledged to spend more of the country's vast oil wealth at home and to broaden privatisation in both the health and education sectors. | The Progress Party has pledged to spend more of the country's vast oil wealth at home and to broaden privatisation in both the health and education sectors. |
| But analysts say it is unlikely that her party would be in a position to govern even if centre-right parties won a majority of the votes because of a lack of unity between them. | But analysts say it is unlikely that her party would be in a position to govern even if centre-right parties won a majority of the votes because of a lack of unity between them. |