Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has begun negotiations to add the Liberal Party to her cabinet, emphasising jobs creation and energy policy.
Adding the Liberal Party to her coalition of the Conservatives and the anti-immigration Progress Party may make day-to-day governing easier for Solberg. However, the three parties together would only hold 80 out of the 169-seat assembly.
Solberg would still need the backing of another small party, the Christian Democrats, who hold eight seats.
She had initially tried to form a majority government by including both Liberals and Christian Democrats. The Christian Democrats have so far rejected the offer.
Solberg said: “Norway’s economy is improving, unemployment is coming down and we have won a competitiveness that it is essential to maintain in the coming years.”
Norway is western Europe’s largest exporter of oil and gas, but also supports the 2015 Paris climate accord, which aims to end the fossil fuel era this century.
Energy policy may be a stumbling block for talks as the Liberals want to restrict exploration, while the Progress Party and Solberg’s own Conservatives both intend to continue drilling for hydrocarbons.
Solberg narrowly retained power in a September election by promising further tax cuts and economic progress for Norway.
