Norwegian PM Turns Taxi Driver to Read Voters’ Pulse

Concealing their identity to gain first-hand information on what people think about them is nothing new for leaders across the world, with the popular list including well-known names such as English King Henry V and Haroun Al-Rashid, the ninth century A.D. Caliph in Baghdad.

Now, it seems, it’s the turn of Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to join the series by going incognito. While the historical tradition of going disguised was usually practiced by the leaders to ascertain what their troops, subjects or constituents actually felt about them, Stoltenberg has chosen to disguise himself to gather the opinions of the voters of Norway.

It was on Friday last that Stoltenberg decided to keep his prime ministerial identity concealed and donned the cap of a taxi driver so as to read the pulse of the voters of the country in an unfiltered manner. The reactions of several passengers were recorded even as they kept airing their views without really knowing that they were engaged in a one-on-one with none other than Norway’s leading administrator. The “driver” not only happened to receive complaints about the performance of the government, but also took up politics for hot discussions. Soon after their reactions were taken on record, the passengers were given to understand that the taxi driver with whom they had been involved in parleys was their country’s prime minister.

It was in 2011 that Stoltenberg, who is on the verge of completing his second consecutive term in office, caught global attention by remaining stoical to the Utoya massacre that left 77 people dead in a brutal killing spree unleashed by right-wing extremist Anders Breivik. The dead included 69 teenagers who were slaughtered at a youth camp on the island of Utoya. It was the sensational speech delivered to the nation by Stoltenberg soon after the incident that hit international headlines.

Re-affirming Norway’s commitment to its democratic principles, Stoltenberg called upon people not to give up their values, and show that this test can also be passed by the society. “We must never give up our values. We must show that our open society can pass this test too. That the answer to violence is even more democracy. Even more humanity”, Stoltenberg said. Interestingly, Stoltenberg had preferred to hide his identity and move amid the voters as a cabby, when Norway is slated to go to the polls in about a fortnight on Sept.9. It’s a matter of concern for Stoltenberg’s Labor Party, which has witnessed a decline in support, notwithstanding the credit it enjoys for taking the country ahead during tough economic times.

Stoltenberg’s decision to gauge the mood of the voters has come at a time when the latter look to be getting fed up with the government’s prolonged tenure. A pre-poll analysis made public on Monday reveals that Labor is lagging behind its prime rivals, managing to earn only 41 percent of the public support against a solid 53 percent enjoyed by the Conservative Party. As far as Stoltenberg’s taxi stunt is concerned, passengers who got a rare opportunity to give their reaction seems to have enjoyed their Prime Minister antics. On his part, Stoltenberg had to say this: “I think that the country and Norwegian taxi passengers are better served if I were a prime minister and not a taxi driver”. And that seems to be a perfect poll gimmick.