ABSTRACT
After the general elections in Norway in September 1997 the minority Labour government resigned and paved the way for another minority government, whose parliamentary basis was even thinner. But the new coalition which took over, composed of the Christian People’s Party, the Center Party and the Liberal Party, was built on a political platform committing the coalition to work for, among other things, stronger solidarity with the South, a reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime, responding particularly to the needs of the poor countries (eg securing Member States’ national control over natural resources) and an increase in Norwegian official development aid, with special emphasis on reaching the poorest population groups. This seemed promising.
