View source for Partiet Sentrum

{{Distinguish|Centre Party (Norway)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Center Party
| native_name      = Partiet Sentrum
| logo             = Partiet Sentrum Logo 2024.svg
| logo_size        = 
| colorcode        = {{party color|Center Party (Norway)}}
| abbreviation     = S
| leader           = [[Geir Lippestad]]
| founded          = {{Start date|2020|9|24|df=yes}}
| headquarters     = c/o Advokatfirmaet Lippestad AS<br>Sehesteds gate 6<br>0164 Oslo
| youth_wing       = {{ill|Center Youth (Norway)|no|Unge Sentrum|lt=Centre Youth}}
| split            = 
| ideology         = {{ubl|[[Centrism]]|[[Environmentalism]]}}
| position         = [[Centrism|Centre]] to [[centre-left]]
| colours          = {{color box|{{party color|Center Party (Norway)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Red]]
| seats1_title     = [[Storting]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|0|169|hex={{party color|Center Party (Norway)}}}}
| seats2           = {{composition bar|7|9344|{{party color|The Centre(Norway)}}}}
| seats2_title     = [[Municipal council (Norway)|Municipal Councils]]
| flag             = 
| website          = {{URL|https://partietsentrum.no}}
| country          = Norway
}}
'''Partiet Sentrum''' ([[abbr.]] '''S'''; {{literally|Center Party}}; {{langx|se|Bellodat Guovddáš}}) is a registered [[Norwegian political parties|political party in Norway]]. The party was established in 2020 after a split in the [[Christian Democratic Party (Norway)|Christian Democratic Party]]. Its formation was spearheaded by former Oslo city councilor [[Geir Lippestad]] of the [[Labour Party (Norway)|Labour Party]], who was elected as the party's first leader. The party's platform focuses on [[Politics of climate change|climate policy]]. It has yet to win a seat in the national [[Storting]], but a number of its members have been elected at the [[Municipal council (Norway)|municipal level]].

== History ==
The party was established on 24 September 2020 by former county leaders from the [[Christian Democratic Party (Norway)|Christian Democratic Party]] (KrF) and former Oslo city councilor [[Geir Lippestad]] of the [[Labour Party (Norway)|Labour Party]]. The KrF county leaders left their party after an internal split between the KrF's left and right factions, in which the latter won. Lippestad led the initiative to form the party and was elected its inaugural leader at the party's founding congress.<ref name="Garvik">{{cite web |last=Garvik |first=Olav |title=Sentrum – politisk parti |trans-title=Center – political party |url=https://snl.no/Sentrum_-_politisk_parti |website=Store norske leksikon |access-date=27 April 2025 |language=no |date=18 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="nrk.no">{{Cite web|date=20 January 2021|title=Partiet sentrum|trans-title=Center Party|url=https://www.nrk.no/nyheter/partiet-sentrum-1.15250033|publisher=[[NRK]]|access-date=14 September 2021|archive-date=14 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914151512/https://www.nrk.no/nyheter/partiet-sentrum-1.15250033|url-status=live}}</ref> The party later received further defectors from the Labour Party, the [[Socialist Left Party (Norway)|Socialist Left Party]], the [[Conservative Party (Norway)|Conservative Party]], and the [[Green Party (Norway)|Green Party]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Rowe |first=Asle |date=20 December 2020 |title=Thore Sebastian går fra SV til Partiet Sentrum |trans-title=Thore Sebastian leaves SV to join the Center Party |url=https://www.sb.no/5-73-1251429 |access-date=1 July 2021 |work=Sandefjords Blad |language=no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Aslam |first=Hina |date=12 March 2021 |title=Partiet Sentrum tar opp kampen med Ap: – Kunne ikke støtte et parti jeg ikke kjenner meg igjen i |trans-title=The Center Party takes up the fight with the Labour Party: – Couldn't support a party I don't recognize myself in |url=https://www.dagsavisen.no/nyheter/2021/03/12/partiet-sentrum-tar-opp-kampen-med-ap-kunne-ikke-stotte-et-parti-jeg-ikke-kjenner-meg-igjen-i/ |access-date=20 March 2021 |work=Dagsavisen |language=no}}</ref>

In December 2020, the party secured enough signatures to run lists in all counties for the [[2021 Norwegian parliamentary election|2021 parliamentary election]].<ref>{{cite news |date=20 January 2021 |title=Sentrum har sikret seg 6,110 underskrifter – vil stille liste i samtlige fylker |trans-title=The Center Party has secured 6,110 signatures – will submit a list in all counties |url=https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/politikk/i/0KBer2/sentrum-har-sikret-seg-6110-underskrifter-vil-stille-liste-i-samtlig |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914173143/https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/politikk/i/0KBer2/sentrum-har-sikret-seg-6110-underskrifter-vil-stille-liste-i-samtlig |archive-date=14 September 2021 |access-date=14 September 2021 |work=[[Aftenposten]]}}</ref> It officially registered as a political party in January 2021.<ref name="Garvik"/>

Partiet Sentrum was measured in opinion polls in the winter of 2020–2021 between 0.0 and 0.7 per cent support.<ref>{{Cite web |title=pollofpolls.no – Sentrum 0,0 og 0,1 |trans-title=pollofpolls.no – Center 0.0 and 0.1 |url=http://www.pollofpolls.no/?cmd=Kommentarer&do=vis&kommentarid=2949 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127175047/http://www.pollofpolls.no/?cmd=Kommentarer&do=vis&kommentarid=2949 |archive-date=27 January 2021 |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=pollofpolls.no – Frp lekker til "andre" – II |trans-title=pollofpolls.no – Frp leaks to "others" – II |url=http://www.pollofpolls.no/?cmd=Kommentarer&do=vis&kommentarid=2970 |access-date=3 February 2021}}</ref> In the spring of 2021, Norstat conducted a nationwide survey commissioned by the Center Party, to answer how the party fared before the parliamentary elections in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=Partiet Sentrum får ikke vite hvem som vil stemme på dem – tar saken i egne hender |trans-title=The Centre Party is not told who will vote for them – it takes matters into its own hands |url=https://www.vl.no/nyheter/2021/06/23/partiet-sentrum-far-ikke-vite-hvem-som-vil-stemme-pa-dem-tar-saken-i-egne-hender/ |accessdate=1 July 2021 |work=Vårt Land |language=no}}</ref> Two percent of the 1,000 respondents answered "yes" to the question of whether they considered voting for the party in the autumn elections. Nine percent answered "maybe", and 13% answered "do not know".<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 July 2021 |title=Norstat undersøkelse: På rett vei oppover |trans-title=Norstat survey: On the right track to the top |url=https://www.partietsentrum.no/norstat-undersokelse-hoy-kjennskap-til-at-partiet-sentrum-er-etablert-og-svaert-positive-resultater-med-tanke-pa-potensielle-velgere/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701114029/https://www.partietsentrum.no/norstat-undersokelse-hoy-kjennskap-til-at-partiet-sentrum-er-etablert-og-svaert-positive-resultater-med-tanke-pa-potensielle-velgere/ |archive-date=1 July 2021 |access-date=1 July 2021 |language=nb-NO}}</ref>

The 2021 parliamentary election was held on 13 September. The party received 0.3% of the popular vote in the election and no seats in the [[Storting]].<ref>{{cite web |date=14 September 2021 |title=Tall for hele Norge Stortingsvalg 2021 |trans-title=Figures for the whole of the Norway Parliamentary Election 2021 |url=https://valgresultater.no/?type=st&year=2021 |access-date=14 September 2021 |work=Valgresultat.no |language=no |quote=Partiet Sentrum 0,3%}}</ref> After the election, the party advocated a change in government.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 September 2020 |title=Sentrum vil ha Støre som statsminister |trans-title=The Center Party wants Støre as prime minister |url=https://www.dagsavisen.no/nyheter/innenriks/sentrum-vil-ha-store-som-statsminister-1.1780470 |publisher= |language=no}}</ref> 

== Platform ==
Partiet Sentrum's platform focuses on [[Politics of climate change|climate policy]]. It describes itself as a bloc-independent [[Centrism|centrist]] party based on the [[United Nations|United Nation]]'s [[Sustainable Development Goals]] and [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]]. However, despite being bloc-independent, the party states that it would support a [[Red–green alliance|red–green government]]. The party also advocates the phasing out of oil operations on the [[Norwegian continental shelf]] by 2035, and supports Norway accepting more refugees.<ref name="Garvik"/>

The party has been described as being on the [[Centrism|centre]] to [[centre-left]] of the political spectrum.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Walstad |first1=Kristin |title=Folk til Sentrum – Partiet Sentrum |trans-title=People to the Center – The Center Party |url=https://www.partietsentrum.no/innlegg-folk-til-sentrum/ |website=Partiet Sentrum |access-date=27 April 2025 |language=nb-NO |date=3 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018205727/https://www.partietsentrum.no/innlegg-folk-til-sentrum/ |archive-date=18 October 2022}}</ref>

== Youth wing ==
The party's youth organization is {{ill|Centre Youth (Norway)|no|Unge Sentrum|lt=Centre Youth}}.<ref name="Garvik"/>

== List of party congresses ==
{{Complete list|date=May 2024}}
{{Col-begin}}
* Founding congress held in 2020
* First congress held online 8–9 May 2021<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 April 2021 |title=Landsmøte 2021 – Partiet Sentrum |trans-title=National Convention 2021 – The Center Party|url=https://www.partietsentrum.no/lm21/ |access-date=1 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425134235/https://www.partietsentrum.no/lm21/ |archive-date=25 April 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Second congress held in [[Oslo]] 19–28 May 2022<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walstad |first=Kristin |title=Velkommen til Landsmøtet 2022 |trans-title=Welcome to the National Convention 2022 |url=https://partietsentrum.no/blog/2022/03/08/velkommen-til-landsmotet-2022/ |access-date=1 May 2024 |language=nb-NO}}</ref>
* Third congress held 29–30 April 2023<ref>{{Cite web |last=Møller-stray |first=Anders |title=Landsmøte 2023 – Partiet Sentrum |trans-title=National Convention 2023 – The Centre Party|url=https://partietsentrum.no/blog/2023/05/12/__trashed/ |access-date=1 May 2024 |language=nb-NO |archive-date=1 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501102324/https://partietsentrum.no/blog/2023/05/12/__trashed/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Fourth congress held 27–28 April 2024<ref>{{Cite web |last=Møller-stray |first=Anders |title=Landsmøte 2024|trans-title=National Convention 2024|url=https://partietsentrum.no/blog/2024/03/18/landsmote-2024/ |access-date=1 May 2024 |language=nb-NO}}</ref>
{{col-end}}

== Election results ==
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:right
! Election
! Leader
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/–
! Government
|-
! [[2021 Norwegian parliamentary election|2021]]
| align=left | [[Geir Lippestad]]
| 7,836
| 0.3 (#14)
| {{composition bar|0|169|hex={{party color|Center Party (Norway)}}}}
| 
| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|https://partietsentrum.no}} {{in lang|no}}

[[Category:Christian democratic parties in Norway]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 2020]]
[[Category:2020 establishments in Norway]]