The Norwegian Social Democratic Party is facing a crisis. Since it came to power in 2021, its popularity has waned. Last week, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was not present at Norway`s most important debate TV-programme when this was the subject for discussion. The programme received a lot of attention after colleagues within the Social Democratic Party argued against each other in a very heated debate.
Afterwards, people and press asked where the Prime Minister was during the debate, with many saying it was the Prime Minister who should have represented the party. It has now emerged that the Prime Minister did not want to take part in the debate, instead he invited Norway’s King and Queen to a private dinner at the Prime Minister’s residence.
The Prime Minister confirmed this on November 15th 2022 and added that his wife, who is a priest, made chicken stew for the King and Queen. The Prime Minister himself claimed he made the dessert, which was homemade ice cream. He also added that the dinner was very nice and that both he and the royals where dressed informally.
This is not the first time that Jonas Gahr Støre has been associated with the royal family. He has previously been disqualified in legal matters involving the Norwegian Crown Prince and Princess due to their close friendship. This autumn, the Royal Norwegian Legal Department assessed that he was no longer disqualified in legal matters involving the Norwegian Crown Prince and Princess because his association with them had decreased.
The Prime Minister is now receiving strong criticism for prioritizing socializing with the royals over his own party. At the election last year, the Social Democratic Party had a rating of more than 26%, now the party has an average of around 16%.
