Leftists win elections in Norway

OSLO, NORWAY — Norway was poised for a power shift after the left-leaning opposition won a majority of seats in parliament with pledges to spend more of the nation’s oil wealth on welfare, official election results showed early today.

With more than 96 percent of votes counted, a three-party coalition led by the Labor Party had won 88 seats in the 169-seat assembly, enough to oust the center-right government.

Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, 58, a Christian Democrat who campaigned on promises of tax cuts, said that if the result held, his government would resign after presenting its draft 2006 budget on Oct. 14.

Labor leader Jens Stoltenberg, who campaigned on a pledge to spend more on welfare, said the opposition alliance would start talks in the next few days on forming a coalition government.

"In this campaign, we had two goals: a strong election for Labor and a chance to form a majority government. The one goal has been reached; the other is within reach," said Stoltenberg, 46, a former prime minister.

Bondevik acknowledged his days as prime minister were probably over, saying: "I am disappointed by such a political defeat, but we had been prepared for the possibility."

His government has presided over four years of unprecedented prosperity, but critics complained of cracks in the welfare state, including shortcomings in education, health and care of the elderly.