Jonas Gahr Støre says he wants to run again as Norway’s prime minister in 2029, extending a leadership tenure that has already made him one of the Labour Party’s longest-serving leaders. The announcement comes as Støre argues that war in Ukraine, European security and Norway’s defence responsibilities have made the premiership more serious than he expected when he took office in 2021.
Støre confirms he wants to lead Labour again in 2029
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told TV 2 that it is his “clear plan” to stand again as the Labour Party’s prime ministerial candidate at the next parliamentary election in 2029, provided the party congress approves his candidacy.
If confirmed by Labour, Støre would be 69 at the time of the election. He said age in itself was not decisive and argued that his health, capacity and pace of work remained compatible with the role.
The statement is not entirely new. In December, Støre had already indicated that he was open to being the party’s prime ministerial candidate again in 2029. His latest remarks, however, make that intention more explicit and place the question of political continuity at the centre of Labour’s longer-term strategy.
The timing also matters. Støre returned to office after Labour won re-election in Norway’s 2025 parliamentary election, giving him a second term and extending a premiership that began in 2021.
Støre’s long Labour leadership is becoming part of the story
Støre became Labour’s third longest-serving leader on 19 January this year, moving ahead of both Jens Stoltenberg and Gro Harlem Brundtland in the party’s historical rankings.
He has led the party since 2014 and has now been in office for nearly twelve years, with only Oscar Torp and Einar Gerhardsen ahead of him in total time as party leader. That milestone strengthens Støre’s place in Norwegian political history even before the question of a new candidacy in 2029 is formally decided.
His leadership has gone through several phases, from early expectations and electoral setbacks to internal pressure and a later political recovery. That trajectory has helped shape an image of Støre as a more resilient figure than many critics expected during the most difficult moments of his leadership.
Ukraine and security are central to Støre’s argument for continuity
Støre said the war in Ukraine and the responsibility of safeguarding Norway’s security were among the main reasons he wanted to continue.
He said the premiership had become more serious and more marked by war than he could have imagined in 2021, when he took office a few months before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In recent years, Norway has increased its focus on defence readiness, long-term military planning and support for Kyiv, in line with broader shifts across the Nordic region and Europe. The government recently said it would add major new funding to its long-term defence plan, underlining how security policy has moved closer to the centre of Norwegian politics.
That context gives Støre’s announcement a wider significance beyond party politics. Across northern Europe, governments are increasingly framing leadership continuity around security, defence spending and strategic stability rather than around conventional domestic political cycles alone.
Why a new Støre candidacy matters beyond Norway
A decision by Støre to seek another term in 2029 signals that Norway’s Labour leadership does not currently see an immediate succession plan as necessary. It also suggests that Støre believes his political standing, and the party’s, can remain competitive over the longer term despite earlier crises and internal tensions.
For Nordic and European observers, the announcement matters because Norway plays an increasingly important role in regional security, energy policy and support for Ukraine. A renewed Støre candidacy would point to continuity in Oslo at a time when the Nordic countries are adapting to a more unstable security environment.
Whether Labour formally backs him will only be decided later. But Støre has now made clear that, from his side, a bid for re-election as prime minister in 2029 is the plan.
