Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 14 and 15 September 1997. Prior to the election Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland of the Labour Party had issued the 36.9 ultimatum declaring that the government would step down unless it gained 36.9% of the vote, the percentage gained by the Labour Party in 1993 under Gro Harlem Brundtland. Whilst Labour won a plurality of seats, they were unable to reach Jagland's 36.9% threshold, gaining 35% of the vote.
As a result of this, the Labour government stepped down, being replaced by a centrist coalition of the Christian People's Party, Liberal Party and the Centre Party, with Kjell Magne Bondevik being appointed Prime Minister, and confidence and supply support from the Conservative Party and the right-wing Progress Party.
Contesting parties
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan=2 colspan=3 width=225px | Name
! rowspan=2 | Ideology
! rowspan=2 | Position
! rowspan=2 | Leader
! colspan=2 | 1993 result
|-
! Votes (%)
! Seats
|-
! style="background:; width:2px;"|
| align=center | Ap
| Labour Party<br /><small>Arbeiderpartiet</small>
| Social democracy
| Centre-left
| Thorbjørn Jagland
| align=center | 36.9%
|
|-
! style="background:; width:2px;"|
| align=center | H
| Conservative Party<br /><small>Høyre</small>
| Liberal conservatism
| Centre-right
| Jan Petersen
| align=center | 17.0%
|
|-
! style="background:; width:2px;" |
| align="center" | Sp
| Centre Party<br /><small>Senterpartiet</small>
| Agrarianism
| Centre
| Anne Enger Lahnstein
| align="center" | 16.7%
|
|-
! style="background:; width:2px;" |
| align="center" | SV
| Socialist Left Party<br /><small>Sosialistisk Venstreparti</small>
| Democratic socialism
| Left-wing
| Kristin Halvorsen
| align="center" | 7.9%
|
|-
! style="background:; width:2px;" |
| align="center" | KrF
| Christian Democratic Party<br /><small>Kristelig Folkeparti</small>
| Christian democracy
| Centre to centre-right
| Kjell Magne Bondevik
| align="center" | 7.8%
|
|-
! style="background:; width:2px;" |
| align="center" | FrP
| Progress Party<br /><small>Fremskrittspartiet</small>
| Conservative liberalism
| Right-wing
| Carl I. Hagen
| align="center" | 6.2%
|
|-
! style="background:; width:2px;" |
| align="center" | V
| Liberal Party<br /><small>Venstre</small>
| Social liberalism
| Centre
| Lars Sponheim
| align="center" | 3.6%
|
|-
! style="background:; width:2px;" |
| align="center" | R
| Red Electoral Alliance<br /><small>Rød Valgallianse</small>
| Communism
| Far-left
| Aslak Sira Myhre
| align="center" | 1.0%
|
|}
Campaign
Slogans
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:left"
! colspan="2" style="text-align:left;" | Party
! Original slogan
! English translation
|-
| style="background:"|
| Labour Party
|«Eldre og helse først!»
|«Elderly and health first!»
|-
| style="background:" |
| Centre Party
|«Ja til samholds-Norge, nei til forskjellsNorge»
|«Yes to a united Norway, no to a Norway of difference»
|-
| style="background:"|
| Conservative Party
|«Jan Petersen best som sjef/Høyre best for Norge.»
|«Jan Petersen (Leader of party) best suited as boss/Conservative best suited for Norway»
|-
| style="background:" |
| Socialist Left Party
|
|
|-
| style="background:" |
|Christian Democratic Party
|«Et varmere samfunn med kristne verdier»
|«A warmer society with Christian values»
|-
| style="background:" |
| Progress Party
|«Frihet under ansvar. Nei til redusering av forsvaret»
|«Freedom under responsibility. No to reducing the army»
|-
| style="background:" |
|Liberal Party
|
|
|-
| style="background:" |
|Red Electoral Alliance
|
|
|-
| colspan="4" | Sources:
|}
Debates
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%; line-height:15px; text-align:center;"
! colspan="12" | 1997 Norwegian general election debates
|-
! rowspan="3" | Date
! rowspan="3" | Organisers
! colspan="9" | Present Invitee Non-invitee
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" |Ap
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" |H
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" |Sp
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" |Sv
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" |KrF
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" |Frp
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" |V
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" |R
! rowspan="2" |Refs
|-
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
|-
|
| NRK
| style="background:#90FF90" |P<br />Thorbjørn Jagland, Hill-Marta Solberg
| style="background:#90FF90" |P<br />Jan Petersen
| style="background:#90FF90" |P<br />Anne Enger Lahnstein
| style="background:#90FF90" |P<br />Kristin Halvorsen
| style="background:#90FF90" |P<br />Valgerd Svarstad Haugland
| style="background:#90FF90" |P<br />Carl I. Hagen
| style="background:#90FF90" |P<br />Lars Sponheim
| style="background:#90FF90" |P<br />Aslak Sira Myhre
|
|}
Results
Voter demographics
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
! rowspan="3"| Cohort
! colspan="8" | Percentage of cohort voting for
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;"| Ap
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | FrP
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | H
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | KrF
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Sp
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Sv
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | V
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Others
|-
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
! style="background:" |
|-
| Total vote || style="background:#ffccd4;| 35.00% || 15.30%|| 14.34%
| 13.66%|| 7.93%|| 6.01%|| 4.45%||
|-
! colspan="9" | Gender
|-
| Females || style="background:#ffccd4;| 34.8% || 12.3% || 12.4%
| 17.6%|| 7.9% || 8.1%|| 4.1% ||
|-
| Males || style="background:#ffccd4;| 35.2% || 18% || 16%
| 10.2%|| 8% || 4.2%|| 4.9% ||
|-
! colspan="9" | Age
|-
| 18–30 years old || style="background:#ffccd4;| 30.5% || 19.4% || 11.4%
| 11.4%|| 6.2% || 9.8% || 4.9% ||
|-
| 30-59 years old || style="background:#ffccd4;| 35.5% || 14.4% || 16.5%
| 11.9%|| 7.9% || 6.4%|| 5% ||
|-
| 60 years old and older || style="background:#ffccd4;| 37.8% || 14.6% || 10.9%
| 20.7%|| 9.8% || 1.1%|| 2.2% ||
|-
! colspan="9" | Work
|-
| low income || style="background:#ffccd4;| 33.5% || 17% || 7%
| 16.4%|| 9.2% || 6.8%|| 5% ||
|-
| Average income || style="background:#ffccd4;| 36% || 16.7% || 11%
| 15.2%|| 9.2% || 4.7%|| 3.8% ||
|-
| High income || style="background:#ffccd4;| 35.4% || 11.7% || 27%
| 8.2%|| 4.2% || 7.1%|| 5.2% ||
|-
! colspan="9" |Education
|-
| Primary school || style="background:#ffccd4;| 44.7% || 15.3% || 5.6%
| 15.3%|| 10.6% || 2.5%|| 1.6% ||
|-
| High school || style="background:#ffccd4;| 35.9% || 17.2% || 12.9%
| 13.8%|| 8.8% || 4.8%|| 3.9% ||
|-
| University/college || style="background:#ffccd4;| 26.3% || 9.9% || 24.3%
| 12%|| 4.1% || 11.6%|| 7.7% ||
|-
! colspan="11! |
|-
| colspan="9" | Source: Norwegian Institute for Social Research
|}
Seat distribution
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 0.9em;"
! rowspan="4" |Constituency
! rowspan="4" |Total<br>seats
! colspan="11" |Seats won
|-
! colspan="7" |By party
!
! rowspan="23" |
! colspan="2" |By coalition
|-
! class="unsortable" style="width:50px;" |Ap
! class="unsortable" style="width:50px;" |FrP
! class="unsortable" style="width:50px;" |KrF
! class="unsortable" style="width:50px;" |H
! class="unsortable" style="width:50px;" |Sp
! class="unsortable" style="width:50px;" |SV
! class="unsortable" style="width:50px;" |V
! class="unsortable" style="width:50px;" |TVF
! class="unsortable" style="width:50px;" |
! class="unsortable" style="width:50px;" |
|-
! style="background:;" |
! style="background:;" |
! style="background:;;" |
! style="background:;" |
! style="background:;;" |
! style="background:;" |
! style="background:;;" |
! style="background:;" |
! style="background:;" |
! style="background:;" |
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Akershus
!14
|5
|2
|1
|3
|1
|1
|1
|
|8
|6
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Aust-Agder
!4
|2
|1
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|2
|2
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Buskerud
!7
|4
|1
|1
|1
|
|
|
|
|3
|4
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Finnmark
!4
|2
|
|1
|
|
|1
|
|
|1
|3
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Hedmark
!9
|4
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|
|
|4
|5
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Hordaland
!16
|5
|2
|3
|2
|1
|1
|2
|
|10
|6
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Møre og Romsdal
!10
|3
|2
|2
|1
|1
|
|1
|
|7
|3
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Nord-Trøndelag
!6
|3
|1
|1
|
|1
|
|
|
|3
|3
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Nordland
!12
|5
|1
|2
|1
|1
|1
|
|1
|6
|6
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Oppland
!7
|4
|1
|1
|
|1
|
|
|
|3
|4
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Oslo
!17
|6
|3
|1
|4
|
|2
|1
|
|9
|8
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Østfold
!8
|4
|2
|1
|1
|
|
|
|
|4
|4
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Rogaland
!12
|3
|2
|2
|2
|1
|1
|1
|
|8
|4
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Sogn og Fjordane
!5
|2
|
|1
|1
|1
|
|
|
|3
|2
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Sør-Trøndelag
!10
|4
|1
|1
|2
|1
|1
|
|
|5
|5
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Telemark
!6
|3
|1
|1
|1
|
|
|
|
|3
|3
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Troms
!6
|2
|1
|1
|1
|1
|
|
|
|4
|2
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Vest-Agder
!5
|1
|1
|2
|1
|
|
|
|
|4
|1
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Vestfold
!7
|3
|2
|1
|1
|
|
|
|
|4
|3
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Total
!165
!65
!25
!25
!23
!11
!9
!6
!1
!91
!74
|-
|align=left colspan="13" |Source: Statistics Norway
|}