Title: Business Leaders Predominantly Prefer Solberg as Next Prime Minister, None for Vedum – Poll
No prizes for guessing who’s the favorite among Norwegian business leaders for the next prime minister‘s position. According to a recent poll conducted by Respons Analyse on behalf of SMB Norway, an interest organization for small and medium-sized businesses, nearly half (48%) of the respondents, all of whom are business top brass, would like to see Erna Solberg, the leader of the conservative party Høyre, at the helm.
Despite reports earlier this year that former Progress Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum was a potential candidate, not a single respondent was rooting for him. For Jørund Rytman, chief of SMB Norway, who himself has served several years in the Storting for the Frp before leading the organization, this result was surprisingly unanimous.
"I had perhaps imagined that Vedum could be a candidate among those in the districts. I remember back to before the last election when he was very much in contention for the post of prime minister," he said, stating that he remains optimistic about the possibility of a change in outlook.
The second most popular candidate among the poll respondents was Sylvi Listhaug with 21%, while 24% were undecided. This leaves 69% of the respondents either willing to have Solberg or Listhaug as their next prime minister, reflecting the general sentiment among Norwegian business leaders.
Jonas Gahr Støre, the current Prime Minister and leader of the Labour party, managing to secure only 3% of the vote.
The poll, which interviewed 400 business leaders in companies with over 20 million in turnover, found nearly half (48%) hoping for Solberg, reflecting the general sentiment among Norwegian business leaders.
However, these preferences may not align with those of the broader population. In a poll conducted by TV2 earlier this month, more than 34% stated they would like to see Solberg as prime minister, while over 25% opted for Listhaug or Støre at some point.
"Business leaders are not in line with the rest of the population," Rytman said, highlighting that the business sector wants different policies.
While Støre has been critiqued as ‘business-unfriendly’, the current prime minister expressed optimism about the future in an interview with E24 in November.
In the meantime, business leaders’ opinions should give politicians pause, Rytman noted. "It is from businesses that tax revenues come," he said.
More insights into the poll’s findings are available on E24+.
