Aftenposten reported Friday that a poll by Sentio Research indicated the populist Progress Party grew by nearly 3 percent, to 28.8 percent.

The approval rating for the Labor Party, which heads the ruling government, slid 3.9 points to 26.4 percent support, the newspaper reported.

Some pundits have said the Labor Party's drop in confidence is partly due to a recent scandal involving Children's and Equality Minister Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen, who resigned last week.