Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg spent an afternoon working undercover as a taxi driver, using it as a campaign strategy to find out “what people really think” ahead of the September 9 election - but his disguise didn’t do him any favors.
Mr. Stoltenberg said he wanted to hear what voters’ real concerns
were, and that a taxi is one of the few places where people
shared their true thoughts.
“It’s important for me to hear what people really think. If
there’s one place where people say what they think, it’s in a
taxi,” he said in a video posted on YouTube, Facebook, and
Twitter.
The footage was released as part of his campaign for the
September 9 election in which Stoltenberg’s ruling leftist
coalition is currently likely to lose, lagging behind the
opposition in opinion polls.
As part of his disguise, Stoltenberg wore dark sunglasses and an
Oslo taxi driver uniform, complete with a badge. The stunt, which
was carried out in June, involved the PM picking up unsuspecting
passengers in a black Mercedes estate car.
The entire event was filmed on hidden cameras, and a video of the
stunt was published Sunday by daily newspaper VG, as well as on
the PM’s Facebook page. The idea was created by an ad agency.
But it seems the disguise itself was a bit of flop, as most of
the passengers realized fairly quickly who he really was.
One passenger said, “From this angle you really look like
Stoltenberg.”
But the chat quickly turned to politics, even with those
passengers who recognized the PM. One woman who recognized
Stoltenberg complained about “bosses’ salaries,” saying
that “they shouldn’t make millions like that.”
Stoltenberg engaged one passenger on education, saying: "The
main point is to make sure good students have something to
stretch for, and to give those who struggle extra help."
While the PM didn’t exactly get top marks for his disguise
skills, he also didn’t excel at driving. At one point, he jolted
the car when mistaking the brake pedal for the clutch. He then
admitted to the shaken passenger that he hadn’t driven in eight
years and that he has become accustomed to sitting in the back
seat.
When asked by the Verdens Gang tabloid if he would become a taxi
driver when he looses the elections, the PM replied, “I think
that the country and Norwegian taxi passengers are better served
if I were a prime minster and not a taxi driver.”