The Liberal People's Party (, DLF) was a
social liberal
Social liberalism is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which favors limited g ...
political party in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, established by a split in the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
over the issue of Norway's accession to the
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
in 1972. The party was originally called the New People's Party until changing its name in 1980.
History
The new party, formed by the pro-EEC minority of the Liberal Party, originally wanted to call itself the "Popular Party - New Liberals" (''Folkepartiet Nye Venstre''), but was denied the use of this name,
[ as it was deemed too similar to the Liberal Party, which in Norway is called "Venstre" (literally "Left"). Instead, the party called itself the New People's Party (''Det Nye Folkepartiet''). The name was in 1980 changed to the Liberal People's Party.][
At the time of the split, eight of the thirteen Liberal Party MPs joined the new party. At the 1973 parliamentary election, the Liberal People's Party however won merely one seat,][ from ]Hordaland
Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Munici ...
(the Liberal Party won two seats). At the next election, in 1977, the Liberal People's Party lost this seat, and was never represented in Parliament again. The party's popularity declined throughout the 1980s. In the local elections in 1987 the two parties ran on common lists in several counties and municipalities. In 1988, it was decided to officially merge back together with the Liberal Party.[
In 1992, some of the old members decided to recreate DLF, reviving the Liberal People's Party name. However, the new party was later taken over by a group of free-market libertarians and former members of the Progress Party. The party was closed in 2017.]
Party leaders
*1972–1973 Helge Seip
*1973–1978 Magne Lerheim
*1978–1980 Ingvar Lars Helle
*1980–1982 Gerd Søraa
*1982–1986 Øyvind Bjorvatn
*1986–1988 Alice Ruud
*1988 Marit Bjorvatn
See also
*Liberalism
Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
*Contributions to liberal theory
Individual contributors to classical liberalism and political liberalism are associated with philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment. Liberalism as a specifically named ideology begins in the late 18th century as a movement toward ...
* Liberalism worldwide
* List of liberal parties
*Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberalism, liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal dem ...
* Liberalism in Norway
References
{{Reflist
Social liberal parties
Norway 1972
Defunct political parties in Norway
Political parties established in 1972
Political parties disestablished in 1988