Politicians court immigrant vote
Immigrants now make up a potentially important voter bloc in Norway. With local elections looming in September, politicians are campaigning for what may be swing votes.
State statistics indicate there now are around 136,000 immigrants in Norway who hail from areas other than Europe and North America. Of these, more than 92,000 have become Norwegian citizens and can vote in local and national elections.
The remainder can vote in local elections if they've been granted permanent residence status after three years in the country. Most live in Oslo or Norway's other cities, and thus can swing local elections.
Their numbers are up 40 percent from the last round of local elections four years ago, and Norway's political parties are vying for their support.
"In Oslo alone, every eighth voter has an immigrant background," Tor Bjoerklund of the University of Oslo told newspaper Aftenposten. He noted that if margins are small, the immigrant vote can weight heavily on an election's outcome.
The Conservatives (Hoeyre) have established their own contact groups for voters from Pakistan, Somalia, Turkey and Vietnam. The Labour Party has officials going door-to-door in immigrant neighborhoods, discussing issues and soliciting voter support.
Many just want to increase voter participation. Only 39 percent of immigrants with voting rights actually cast ballots in the 1999 election.
There also are thousands of additional immigrants in Norway from Europe and North America who are eligible to vote. There was no indication of organized efforts by politicians to reach them.
Source: http://www.aftenposten.no/english/lo...ticleID=590775
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