A simple local election has brought challenges to a ban on TV ads, VWI (voting while intoxicated) and a reassessment of the country's place in Europe.

Mario Canseco

Norwegians will participate in county and municipal elections on Sept. 15. The last few weeks of the campaign have brought a series of previously unimaginable developments in the country.

The key affair was a challenge to a long-standing ban on political advertising on television. Norway's Broadcasting Act does not even allow TV commercials in which views or expressions can be considered influential to the public's perceptions on life. A 2000 spot paid by the country's Health Workers Union violated the prohibition, after suggesting that nurses were taking other jobs because of low salaries and poor working conditions.

Commercial network TV2 decided to defy the ban last month, running a spot from the Progress Party (FrP) before an evening news broadcast. For the first time in Norwegian television history, a party head used the small screen to request votes. The ad featured leader Carl I. Hagen discussing schools and hospitals, and closed with the political organization's trademark apple logo.

TV2's bold dare was met with a stern warning. The country's Mass Media Authority chided the network, and cited a controversial case in Ireland, where religious commercials were banned on television due to a perceived lack of balance and resources for every belief. TV2 is expected to counter with a simple analogy. Newspapers and radio stations—also considered as mass media—have always been allowed to run advertisements from political parties and candidates.

Prior to the propaganda dispute, an arrangement raised eyebrows not just in Norway, but all over the continent. The country that currently levies the highest taxes on alcohol in all of Europe will allow voters to cast their ballots while drunk. Previously, prospective electors could be refused at a voting station due to "seriously impaired judgment" or "reduced consciousness."

Negative reaction to the VWI (voting while intoxicated) outcome forced Norwegian lawmakers to quickly re-write the law. The late scramble means a return to the previous rules for voters will take effect after the local polls are held.

The political race has been heated. A coalition government encompassing the Conservative (H) and Christian People's (KrF) Parties currently administers Norway, under prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. The Labour Party (DNA) is staging a comeback, on top in most voting intention polls with more than 25 per cent. Labour leader Jens Stoltenberg held the highest office from March 2000 to October 2001. A positive result this month could build momentum for the 2005 general election.

The Progress Party did not immediately capitalize on its intrepid television presence, as representative Martin Schanche punched Labour politician Torgeir Micaelsen during a debate. Schanche is widely recognized in the country for his exploits as a former rally racer, but his stunt is regarded as the reason for the FrP's drop from second to fourth place.

The election comes a day after neighbouring Sweden decides whether to adopt the single European currency. Norwegians are still mulling the pros and cons of full European Union (EU) membership. The latest poll by the MMI Institute places support for joining the continental alliance at 41 per cent.

Prime minister Bondevik remains opposed to full membership, but wants a new relationship with the EU. Malta, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland have held positive EU referenda in the last few months. Norway has rejected membership in plebiscites held in 1972 and 1994, and there are no plans for a new vote in the near future.

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