Leader Arnt Rune Flekstad Founded 2014 Membership c. 2,000 (2016) | Secretary Eigil Knudsen Headquarters Oslo | |
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Youth wing Capitalist Youth
(Liberalistisk Ungdom) | ||
The Capitalist Party (Norwegian Bokmål: Liberalistene; Nynorsk: Liberalistane; lit. "The Libertarians") is a Norwegian political party that promotes a classical liberal platform. It was founded in 2014, endeavors to challenge the status quo, and is the fastest growing political party in Norway.
Contents
Platform
Based on classical liberalism and Age of Enlightenment philosophies, the party advocates for a minimal state, where the responsibility of government is limited to administering the police, military, and justice system. The Capitalist Party believes that the state should be prohibited from compelling its electorate, and exists only to protect individuals from aggression, theft, and fraud. In accordance with the party's motto, the foundation of this platform holds that an individual owns his or her own life, is responsible for his or her decisions and prosperity, and that each has the inherent right to autonomously pursue his or her private interests to the extent that those pursuits do not violate the rights of another.
With convictions firmly rooted in the values of Western constitutionalism, the Capitalist Party believes in the separation of powers between the three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. This system of checks and balances will, according to the party, ensure that personal freedoms are secure and will prevent the rise of statism.
Economically, the party is dedicated to laissez-faire capitalism, which advocates for a free market, devoid of invasive regulations and taxation. The party views individual sovereignty as an inalienable natural condition, and holds that regulatory practices impede upon self-determination and self-ownership, thereby inhibiting individual freedom and innovative productivity. To that end, people should collaborate freely, under peaceful and voluntary conditions, without the coercion of state intervention.
Organisation and structure
The Capitalist Party was established in 2014. Headquartered in Oslo, the party is organized in every Norwegian county.
National leadership serves on the Central Executive Committee (sentralstyre), which currently includes leader Arnt Rune Flekstad, deputy leader Roald Ribe, and party secretary Eigil Knudsen. Members constitute the party's legislative body, selecting leadership and protocols at the annual regional (årsmøte) and national (landsmøte) conventions.
The party's youth wing is Capitalist Youth (Liberalistisk Ungdom). Established in 2004, Capitalist Youth was originally affiliated with the Liberal People's Party until transitioning to the Capitalist Party in 2014.
Today
In March 2015, the Capitalist Party gathered the amount of constituent signatures required by the state to participate in Oslo's 2015 municipal elections.
The Capitalist Party has declared support for the creation of Liberland, a micronation founded by Czech libertarian Vít Jedlička from the Party of Free Citizens.
The Capitalist Party held their second national congress in the center of Oslo in April 2016.