Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labour) is leading this year’s Pride parade in Oslo. He has been looking forward to the festival for a long time, but he couldn’t promise that he would be dancing this year.

Judging by Prime Minister Støre’s statements and behavior, Pride appears to be perhaps the biggest celebration of the year.

– I have been looking forward to it for many months, says Støre to NTB, the Norwegian News Agency.

On Saturday, he had the honor of being at the forefront of the Pride parade in Oslo, along with City Mayor Raymond Johansen (Labour) and Minister of Justice, Emilie Enger Mehl (Centre Party).

– This year, Pride is going as planned, and you can feel the atmosphere in the city, says an enthusiastic Støre.

However, he cannot promise dance moves like the ones he and Raymond Johansen showcased in the parade four years ago.

At that time, their dance attracted some attention.

Some thought it was great that the Prime Minister and the City Mayor were being open and vulnerable, while others saw it as a rather undignified and somewhat ridiculous attempt to ingratiate themselves with the right circles.

– I see Raymond Johansen here, and it’s tempting to think about dancing. But I think I’ll walk in a more orderly manner at the front of the procession, says Støre.

This year’s Pride celebration is marked by both joy and seriousness, he emphasizes.

The parade starts in the multicultural area of Grønland, where it may not be met with enthusiasm by everyone.

The conflict between Muslims and the Pride community is one of the dilemmas that politically correct Norway is struggling to figure out how to handle. They are reluctant to have either of the two parties feel offended.

– There is a desire to communicate that our city can accommodate this in a safe way. There is also a seriousness to the event, but I am glad that it is taking place on the planned day and that the weather is nice and the atmosphere is good, Støre added.

Not everyone finds it easy to understand why the Prime Minister of the country claims to have been looking forward to the Pride celebration for many months.