The Nordland Labour Party has deleted a prominent campaign page that promised lower interest rates after two rate hikes by Norges Bank. The sudden removal of the digital campaign hub, which previously claimed the party had policies that would reduce household costs, has drawn strong criticism from political opponents over transparency and voter intimidation.
Campaign lift deleted after interest rate hikes
During the recent election campaign, the Labour Party had campaigned strongly for a platform that promised to secure lower interest rates for Norwegian households. Since May, Norges Bank has raised interest rates twice, from 4 to 4.5 percent. On Thursday, following the central bank’s latest decision, the Nordland Labour Party removed the specific campaign page, which was titled “Rate cuts for all – or tax cuts for a few?”.
Emma Giskås, head of communications for the Labour Party, confirmed to Nettavisen that the website was taken down on Thursday. Giskås defended the party’s website update by saying that the page was created during the election campaign to show political differences. She argued that the party stood for a program of safe financial management for the household economy, adding that it is natural for parties to update their websites over time.
Conservatives call the removal embarrassing
The removal drew immediate and strong reactions from Oslo City Council representative Arina Aamir of the Conservative Party. Writing on Facebook, Aamir characterized the deletion as embarrassing and shameful, and argued that politicians must stick to the promises they make to voters during an election campaign.
Aamir argued that while coalition politics means parties cannot always deliver on all election promises, politicians have an obligation to be honest and direct with the public when goals are not met. She said that removing the campaign page effectively attempts to make it as if the promise never existed.
According to Aamir, removing the evidence undermines public trust in politicians at a time when distrust is already high among certain voter groups. She specifically pointed to vulnerable demographics, such as recent immigrants who may not fully understand the institutional divide between government and the central bank, and suggested that these voters are particularly burdened when election promises are not fulfilled.
Moflag responded by claiming that the Labor Party never formally promised an interest rate cut.
Worth a look