Editing Progress Party (Norway) (section)

=== 1990s: libertarian-wing schism and consolidation ===
{{further|1994 Progress Party national convention}}
The [[1993 Norwegian parliamentary election|1993 parliamentary election]] halved the party's support to 6.3% and ten members of parliament. This drop in support can be seen as the result of an internal conflict within the party that came to a head in 1992, between the more radical libertarian minority and the majority led by Carl I. Hagen.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Siv_Jensen/utdypning|encyclopedia=[[Norsk biografisk leksikon]]|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo|editor=Helle, Knut |title=Siv Jensen|first=Lise Merete|last=Olaussen|access-date=27 August 2010|language=no|editor-link=Knut Helle}}</ref>{{Sfn|Simonsen|2007|p=5}} The [[right-libertarians]], or simply libertarians, had removed the party's focus on immigration, declaring it a "non-issue" in the early 1990s, which was heavily punished by voters in 1993 as well as 1991.<ref>"Det nye landet: Kampen", 26 January 2010. ''[[Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation]]'' (television).</ref> [[Social conservative]] policy platforms had also been liberalised and caused controversy such as accepting [[Registered partnership|homosexual partnership]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.fpu.no/?q=visArtikkel&id=209&type=start|publisher=[[Progress Party's Youth]]|title=Gratulerer FpU|trans-title=Congratulates the Youth of the Progress Party|access-date=27 August 2010|language=no}}</ref> The party's unclear stance on Norwegian membership of the [[European Union]] also contributed greatly to the setback, by moving the focus away from the party's stronger issues such as during the [[1994 Norwegian European Union membership referendum]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/more_og_romsdal/valg_2009_more_og_romsdal/1.6733973|publisher=[[Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation]]|title=EU-debatten – en kjepp i hjulet|trans-title=The EU debate – a spanner in the works|first=Trond|last=Vestre|date=17 August 2009|access-date=27 August 2010|language=no}}</ref>

While many of the libertarians, including [[Pål Atle Skjervengen]] and [[Tor Mikkel Wara]], had left the party before the 1993 election<ref name="dbmg"/> or had been rejected by voters,{{Sfn|Simonsen|2007|p=42}} the conflict finally culminated in 1994. Following the party conference at ''Bolkesjø Hotell'' in [[Telemark]] in April of that year, four MPs of the "libertarian wing" in the party broke off as [[Independent (politician)|independents]]. This was because Hagen had given them an ultimatum to adhere to the political line of the party majority and parliamentary group, or else to leave.<ref name="dbmg"/> This incident was later nicknamed "[[1994 Progress Party national convention|Dolkesjø]]", a [[pun]] on the name of the hotel, with "dolke" meaning to "[[Literal translation|lit.]] stab (in the back) /betray".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frp.no/no/Mot_oss/Historie/Fakta_Kort_om_partiets_historie/|publisher=FrP.no|title=Kort om partiets historie|trans-title=Briefly on the party's history|access-date=17 February 2010|language=no|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716202750/http://www.frp.no/no/Mot_oss/Historie/Fakta_Kort_om_partiets_historie/|archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref>

These events have been seen by political scientists as a turning point for the party.{{Sfn|Skjørestad|2008|p=9}} Subsequently, the libertarians founded a libertarian organisation called the [[Free Democrats (Norway)|Free Democrats]], which attempted to establish a political party but without success. Parts of the younger management of the party and the more libertarian youth organisation of the party also broke away and even tried to disestablish the entire youth organisation.{{Sfn|Skjørestad|2008|p=42}} The youth organisation was however soon running again, this time with more "loyal" members, although it remained more libertarian than its mother organisation. After this, the Progress Party had a more [[right-wing populist]] profile, which resulted in its gaining electoral support.<ref name="snl"/>

In the [[1995 Norwegian local elections|1995 local elections]], the Progress Party regained the level of support seen at the 1987 elections. This was said largely to have been as a result of a focus on Progress Party core issues in the electoral campaign, especially immigration, as well as the party dominating the media picture as a result of the controversy around the [[1995 Norwegian Association meeting at Godlia kino]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frp.no/no/Mot_oss/Historie/|publisher=Frp.no|title=Fremskrittspartiets historie: Valgåret 1995|trans-title=The history of the Progress Party: The election year 1995|access-date=27 August 2010|language=no|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125145458/http://www.frp.no/no/Mot_oss/Historie/|archive-date=25 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dagbladet.no/tekstarkiv/artikkel.php?id=5001990047545|title=Pitbullene er løs!|trans-title=The pitbullsa re lose!|first=Halvor|last=Elvik|work=[[Dagbladet]]|date=3 September 1999|access-date=27 August 2010|language=no}}</ref> The latter particularly gained the party many sympathy votes, as a result of the harsh media storm targeted against Hagen.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://onlinesos.aftenposten.no/tjenester/archive/show.htm?catalog=74894&page=4&query=fremskrittspartiet&date=8.9.1995|title=Velgerstrøm til Fr.p.|work=[[Aftenposten]]|first=Carsten|last=Bleness|access-date=28 November 2010|language=no|date=8 September 1995|page=4}}</ref> In the [[1997 Norwegian parliamentary election|1997 parliamentary election]], the party obtained 15.3% of the vote, and for the first time became the second largest political party in Norway. The [[1999 Norwegian local elections|1999 local elections]] resulted in the party's first mayor as a direct result of an election, [[Terje Søviknes]] in [[Os, Hordaland|Os]]. 20 municipalities also elected a deputy mayor from the Progress Party.