2009 North Korean nuclear test, Analysis of test, Yield
Analysts have generally agreed that the nuclear test was successful, despite uncertainty of the exact yield.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Analysis of test, Yield
The U.S. intelligence community assessed that North Korea "probably" had conducted a nuclear test with a yield of "a few kilotons".


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Analysis of test, Yield
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory Commission assessed the yield at only slightly larger than the 2006 test, which was one kiloton. Based on readings from 23 seismic stations, the Preparatory Commission estimated the blast to have a seismic magnitude of 4.52, corresponding to an explosive yield of 2.4 kilotons, compared to a seismic magnitude of 4.1, corresponding to a yield of 0.8 kilotons, for the 2006 blast.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Analysis of test, Yield
Russia placed the yield of the test significantly higher at 10 to 20 kilotons. This was approximately the yield of the Fat Man and Trinity bombs developed by the United States during World War II. However, the Russians had also previously estimated a far higher yield of 5 to 10 kilotons when other sources estimated a yield of 0.5 to 0.9 kilotons in the 2006 test as well.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Analysis of test, Yield
Defense Minister Lee Sang-Hee of South Korea said that more data were needed but that the yield might be between 1 and 20 kilotons.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Analysis of test, Yield
Analyst Martin Kalinowski at the University of Hamburg estimated the yield at being from 3 to 8 kilotons, still a very successful test when compared with the 2006 test.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Analysis of test, Yield
Hans M. Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists cautioned that "early news media reports about a 'Hiroshima-size' nuclear explosion seem to be overblown". The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists asserted that the blast was more powerful than the 2006 test, though put the yield between 2 and 6 kilotons, but likely less than 4 kilotons and far short of a Hiroshima-type device. The group concluded that the bomb failed to detonate correctly, but even so the potential of this weapon should not be dismissed.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Analysis of test, Yield
However, after the subsequent nuclear test in 2013, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, a state-run geology research institute in Germany, estimated the yield ranging from a minimum of 5 kilotons to the maximum of 12 kilotons and the 2006 test ranging from minimum of 700 tons to the maximum of 2 kilotons instead with relevant statistics.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Analysis of test, Yield
Similarly, the University of Science and Technology of China has estimated the yield of this test to be at 7kT with an error margin of 1.9kT (5.1kT to 8.9kT) while presenting their estimation for the nuclear test on 9 September 2016.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Analysis of test, Lack of radionuclide confirmation
In June 2009, the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) announced that no radionuclides had been detected that could be associated with the 25 May event. At the time of the test, the CTBTO global network included 40 radionuclide sampling stations. In addition, the United States reported that no radionuclides were detected by aircraft over the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea), and South Korea also reported that no radionuclides were detected. By contrast, radionuclides were detected in at least two locations after the 2006 event. Lack of detection does not mean that the event was non-nuclear: it is reasonable for a nuclear test with this yield, buried deep enough in the appropriate rock, to not yield remotely detectable radionuclides, but it makes it more difficult to prove whether the test was nuclear.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Missile tests
On the same day, North Korea also conducted short-range surface-to-air missile tests. The number of fired missiles was first reported as three, but corrected to two by the South Korean defense ministry on 27 May 2009. The first missile had a range of 130 km (81 mi). The South Korean news agency Yonhap cited military officials as saying that the launches seemed to be aimed at keeping U.S. and Japanese surveillance planes away from the site.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Missile tests
On 26 May 2009, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing officials, that North Korea fired three more short-range missiles off an east-coast base, one ground-to-ship missile and one surface-to-air missile. The move came as UN diplomats began work on a resolution to punish North Korea for its underground nuclear test.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Missile tests
By 27 May 2009, at least five short range missiles were launched by North Korea. A military spokesman quoted by official media said that North Korea could no longer guarantee the safety of shipping off its west coast, suggesting a missile could also be fired in that direction.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Missile tests
Another short-range missile was fired off North Korea's east coast on 28 May 2009.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Missile tests
On 29 May 2009, U.S. officials said that satellite photos revealed vehicle activity at two sites in North Korea suggesting that North Korean military might be preparing to launch a long-range ballistic missile. This was reaffirmed on 1 June 2009 by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates who said at a news conference with his Philippine counterpart during a brief visit to Manila "We have seen some signs that they may be doing something with another Taepodong-2 missile, but at this point it's not clear what they're doing".


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Missile tests
Yonhap news agency reported on 2 June 2009 that North Korea was readying as many as three medium-range missiles (according to some analysts, Rodong missiles) at a missile base in Anbyon region, Gangwon Province, northeast of the capital of Pyongyang. In addition, a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said that signs that North Korea was preparing to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) had been detected. verifying US defense officials' reports and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates's statement made on 1 June. North Korea apparently has moved the ICBM to a new base in Dongchang-ri along its west coast and a launch could take place in one or two weeks, according to Yonhap.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, International reaction
The North Korean news agency KCNA confirmed the test as "successful". The agency also said the test was "aimed at strengthening its self-defense nuclear deterrent in every way". South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported citing KCNA that citizens of Pyongyang held a rally to celebrate the country's second successful nuclear test on 26 May.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, International reaction
In general the International reactions to the 2009 North Korean nuclear test have been almost uniformly negative.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Aftermath
News of the tests immediately affected South Korean markets, sending the main KOSPI share index down 4%, while the South Korean won dropped by 1% against the US$ on the day of the nuclear test, 25 May. The yen fell to 95.10 per dollar from its level of 94.78 on 22 May.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Aftermath
On 28 May, North Korea threatened to end the Korean War armistice, stating that "the Korean peninsula will go back to a state of war", whereupon the joint military command of South Korea and the United States increased its surveillance alert level from WATCHCON 3 to WATCHCON 2, the second-highest level of surveillance alert. However, the five-stage combat alert level remained at DEFCON 4, the second-lowest level. Russia undertook security measures in case the war of nerves on the Korean peninsula erupted into a nuclear war.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Aftermath
North Korea also threatened on 29 May to attack South Korean and US warships near its coast if its sovereignty were infringed. In Japan a policy debate ensued regarding strengthening its military up to and including the possibility of an independent pre-emptive strike capability and even nuclear armaments, subjects hitherto taboo.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Aftermath
On 30 May, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence confirmed that a VC10 tanker plane, which is used for air-to-air refueling, had been sent to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan to help support the investigations, led by the U.S. military, to determine the power of the nuclear explosion and the type of material that was used. A Ministry spokesman said: "Following the recent events in North Korea and to support the international community's efforts during this time of increased political tension, we can confirm that the UK is supporting in the associated verification efforts".


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Aftermath
On the same day, a U.S. F-22 fighter jet arrived on Kadena Air Base, the first of twelve F-22's and approximately 280 Langley Air Force Base Airmen from the 94th Fighter Squadron, along with members of the Virginia Air National Guard's 192nd Fighter Wing, that are being deployed to Kadena Air Base as part of a theatre security package.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Aftermath
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg accompanied by Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. special envoy on North Korea, led a U.S. delegation to Asia on 1 June 2009 to consult regional forces on how to respond to North Korea's latest nuclear test. The delegation also includes Stuart Levy, the Treasury under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, and Admiral James Winnefeld of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Aftermath
Japan approved on 2 June 2009 plans for a satellite missile early warning system as part of a new space policy document, a year after Japan dropped a decades-old ban on military use of space with some ruling party lawmakers suggesting Japan should inspect North Korean ships, in the wake of reports that N. Korea was preparing to fire more mid-range missiles.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Aftermath
On the same day, as a response to the increased activity of the N. Korean military and after reports that North Koreans have stepped up naval drills near the western sea border, the site of deadly skirmishes between the two Koreas in 1999 and 2002, South Korea deployed a high-speed naval vessel, the Yoon Youngha guided missile patrol boat, to the area and vowed to "punish" any attacking forces.


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Aftermath
After the North Korean nuclear test the U.S. has approved the sale of a number of weapon systems to South Korea, including GBU-28 "bunker buster" bombs, SM-2 Standard surface-to-air Missiles and F-16 Block 32 Aircraft Upgrades improving the aircraft and increasing the South Korean military's operational abilities. The South Korean military has prepared plans for a counter-attack in the event of a first strike by North Korea


2009 North Korean nuclear test, Aftermath, UNSC Resolution 1874
The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1874 in response to the test, imposing further economic sanctions on the country and authorising UN member states to inspect North Korean cargo and destroy any that may be involved in the nuclear weapons program. In response to the sanctions, an unidentified spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry released a statement through the official Korean Central News Agency saying that the country would begin to "weaponize" its plutonium stockpiles. The spokesman also said the country "will start uranium enrichment" and would view any US-led attempts to "blockade" it as an "act of war". The statement was said to have lacked the usual bitterness of most North Korean statements.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections in North Korea, creating the 12th Supreme People's Assembly, were held on 8 March 2009. They were originally scheduled to be held in August 2008 but were postponed for unknown reasons. Observers of North Korea speculated that it was in relation to Kim Jong-il's ill health.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election
All candidates standing in the elections in North Korea were members of one of the parties comprising the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland. A single candidate, approved by the North-Korean leadership, ran in each of the 687 districts, thereby guaranteeing a full victory by the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, regardless of voter turnout. Kim Jong-il, the de facto leader of North Korea and the Chairman of the National Defence Commission, ran for election in Constituency 333.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Background
The 11th Supreme People's Assembly was dissolved and elections were called for North Korea's 687 electoral districts on January 7, 2009. The elections were to be originally held as per North Korea's constitution in August 2008.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Background
The delay was not officially explained, but was believed to be related to the health of Kim Jong-il. The elections also come after a significant cabinet shuffle in recent months that saw the replacement of at least five members of cabinet. The elections were called for March 8, 2009 allowing leave for a 60-day campaign period.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Background
After dissolution, nominating committees in all 687 districts nominated Kim Jong-il to stand for election. The 333rd district was the first to file their nomination, so he decided to run in that district. In the previous assembly, Kim Jong-il represented the 649th election district.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Electoral system
Voter registration was conducted by the Resident Registration Bureaus of the National Security Agency. Completing the voters lists also had the side effect to discover missing residents who may have defected and left the country. Allegations have surfaced of bribes paid to officials conducting registration drives to declare family members who have defected as being deceased. The voter registration deadline for the election took place on March 4, 2009.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Electoral system
The bribes themselves have been overlooked by the National Security Agency as the North Korean government demands the lists be complete to ensure that there is 100% turnout in the vote. It is easier to explain missing persons as being dead than to have an incomplete voters list.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Electoral system
The voting for deputies of the Supreme People's Assembly in 2009 consisted of using paper ballots containing the name of a single candidate nominated in each district. To indicate support for the candidate a ballot is dropped into the box unmarked. If the voter does not support a candidate, that voter must cross out the name of the candidate before dropping the ballot.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Electoral system
The voting method is a departure from prior elections. In previous elections, the system consisted of two ballot boxes at each polling station. The boxes, one black and one white, were to indicate support for or against a candidate. There is no system in place to handle absentee ballots for North Koreans living abroad and there does not appear to be a system of advanced voting in place. Proxy votes were ordered cast by family members of North Korean defectors who were detained in prisons within China. All voting and the validation of official returns is overseen by the Central Election Committee.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Electoral system
Voting is supposed to be a secret process, but with the current method of casting ballots it becomes obvious who opposes candidates. The voter has the option of going to a booth to cross out the name or dropping the ballot directly in the box. Penalties for voting against a candidate or not voting are severe. Electors who refused to vote were sent to Labor camps. A member of the National Security Agency is stationed at every polling station to keep an eye out for people who use or look at the red pen.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Conduct
Election day began with editorials being published in all state run media, encouraging voter participation. Voting officially began at 9:00am local time. Mobile polling stations were dispatched to infirm residents who could not travel to polling stations to cast ballots. Citizens of foreign nations resident in North Korea were also encouraged to come out and cast a ballot if they so wished.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Conduct
By noon on election day the Korean Central News agency had reported that 71% of registered North Korean voters had turned out to cast ballots.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Conduct
Voters in North Korea had dressed up for election day, wearing suits and chosŏn-ot traditional Korean dresses.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Conduct
I cast a ballot of patriotism, a ballot of approval with a mind to strengthen our socialist system—the best in the world, as firm as a rock.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Conduct
The most watched race of the election was district 333 where leader Kim Jong-il was running. On March 9, 2009, North Korean media announced that Kim Jong-il was unanimously re-elected to parliament. The election committee also stated that 99.98% of all registered voters took part in voting, with 100% voting for their candidate in each district.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Conduct
The election was a largely peaceful event, but some vandalism of candidate posters along with anti-election graffiti  occurred in Mundeuk, South Pyongan Province. Signage had also been changed on polling stations as official signage was replaced with new signs misspelling election booth.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Conduct
Peter Hughes, the British ambassador to North Korea, garnered significant outrage and controversy from around the world after he blogged about the election having a festive atmosphere. The outrage was caused by claims that his blog read more like an official North Korean press release as he did not mention in his blog the negative aspects of the election such as citizens being forced to vote and that there is only a single candidate to vote for.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Results
Official election results were announced by the Central Election Commission on March 2009. The official results showed 324 of the 687 Deputies had been replaced and were new to power with the rest being re-elected. A large portion of the Deputies elected were to fill vacancies from those who died. No form of appointment or by-elections currently exists to put Deputies into the Supreme Peoples Assembly between elections.


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Reactions
The 2009 election in North Korea garnered significant attention from media agencies around the world. The attention was primarily to see if the potentially named successor to Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un was standing for a seat to the Supreme People's Assembly. Rumors surfaced in the world media on 8 March 2009 that Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of Kim Jong-il, appeared on the ballot for the elections to the Supreme People's Assembly. The rumors also stated that following the election the new parliament "may also replace members of [Kim's] cabinet and the National Defense Commission, the top ruling agency."


2009 North Korean parliamentary election, Reactions
The Central Election Commission via the Korean Central News Agency released the complete list of Deputies elected to the Supreme Peoples Assembly. The list showed that Kim Jong-un was not among those who were elected. The results have left watchers of the regime in North Korea guessing as to the political future of the country.


2009 North Queensland Cowboys season
The 2009 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 15th season in the club's history. Coached by Neill Henry and captained by Johnathan Thurston, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2009 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 12th place, failing to reach the finals for the second consecutive year.


2009 North Queensland Cowboys season, Season summary
The 2009 season was an improvement on 2008 for the Cowboys, with 11 wins from 24 games. The closeness of the 2009 season meant the Cowboys finished 12th, just three points behind eventual Grand Finalists Parramatta, who finished 8th.


2009 North Queensland Cowboys season, Season summary
Neil Henry re-joined the club as head coach in 2009, taking over from interim head coach Ian Millward. Henry was an assistant coach at the club from 2002 to 2006, before moving to the Canberra Raiders in 2007 and winning the Dally M Coach of the Year award in 2008. Renowned strength and conditioning coach Billy Johnstone also returned to the club after a stint at the Gold Coast Titans. The club's key off-season recruits included Australian and Queensland representatives Willie Tonga, Antonio Kaufusi and Shannon Hegarty.


2009 North Queensland Cowboys season, Season summary
After a slow start to the season, the Cowboys enjoyed a strong run of form that included a four-game winning streak. With five rounds to play, they were sitting inside the top eight in 6th position. The club then endured four-game losing streak to end the season, dropping to 12th place.


2009 North Queensland Cowboys season, Season summary
2009 saw the debut of James Tamou, who joined the club from the Sydney Roosters under-20's side. Tamou would become an Australian and New South Wales representative at the Cowboys and play integral role in the club's maiden premiership victory in 2015.


2009 North Queensland Cowboys season, Ladder
* Bulldogs stripped of 2 competition points after an interchange breach in round 2


2009 North Queensland Cowboys season, Representatives
The following players have played a representative match in 2009


2009 North Texas Mean Green football team
The 2009 North Texas Mean Green football team represented the University of North Texas in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The 2009 season was the team's third under head coach Todd Dodge. The Mean Green played their home games on campus at Fouts Field in Denton, Texas. North Texas finished the season 2–10 and 1–7 in Sun Belt play.


2009 North Tipperary County Council election
An election to North Tipperary County Council took place on 5 June 2009 as part of that year's Irish local elections. 21 councillors were elected from four electoral divisions by PR-STV voting for a five-year term of office.


2009 North West 200 Races
The 2009 North West 200 Races took place on Saturday 16 May 2009 at the 8.966 mile circuit, dubbed "The Triangle", based around the towns of Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart, in Northern Ireland. The 2009 race week was the 80th anniversary of the festival, when Malcolm McQuigg, Harry Meagen and Ernie Nott picked up the race wins in 1929.


2009 North West 200 Races
Steve Plater and William Dunlop took double victories at the meeting, with Alastair Seeley winning the other race held. Two races were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.


2009 North West 200 Races, Practice, Superbike
Bruce Anstey topped the timesheets on Tuesday, on his Relentless Suzuki ahead of the Hondas of John McGuinness, Keith Amor and Steve Plater. Anstey's team-mate Cameron Donald rounded out the top five, ahead of the first Yamaha of Michael Rutter and the Kawasakis of Ryan Farquhar and Conor Cummins.


2009 North West 200 Races, Practice, Superbike
In the Thursday session affected by rain, Guy Martin topped the timesheets on the Hydrex Honda CBR1000RR, just ahead of a similar bike ridden by Ian Hutchinson. Denver Robb was third on his Suzuki GSX-R1000, as times were over ten seconds slower than Tuesday.


2009 North West 200 Races, Practice, Superstock
Carrickfergus-born Alastair Seeley dominated the first Tuesday Superstock session, setting a lap of 4:28.754, giving him an advantage of over 2.5 seconds. The lap was also good enough for the third fastest lap in the Superbike/Superstock session. Dungannon's Farquhar was second on a Kawasaki, while an all-Irish top three was completed by Kilkenny's John Walsh on his Yamaha. Cummins was fourth on his Kawasaki while William Dunlop's Yamaha rounded out the top five.


2009 North West 200 Races, Practice, Superstock
In the second session, Donald set the fastest time, just 0.7 seconds behind his team-mate Seeley, with the third Relentless Suzuki of Anstey in third.


2009 North West 200 Races, Practice, Superstock
Thursday's session was affected by adverse weather conditions, with Derek Brien topping the timesheets but was some nine seconds off the pace of Seeley. Seeley was only sixteenth in the session, as he would only set three laps in the session. Les Shand was second, just edging out another Yamaha, ridden by Michael Pearson.


2009 North West 200 Races, Practice, Supersport
After a decent session with his 250cc bike, Michael Dunlop surprised the rest of the field by setting the fastest lap in the Tuesday Supersport session. His 4:33.664 lap was over a second and a half faster than the next best lap, by Plater on the HM Plant Honda. Amor was third ahead of Anstey, Ian Hutchinson, William Dunlop and McGuinness.


2009 North West 200 Races, Practice, 250cc
Sunny conditions marked the start of the 250cc session on Tuesday, in which Christian Elkin topped the timesheets. Elkin's Honda lapped the circuit in a time of 5:02.594, edging out defending race winner Michael Dunlop's Honda by just over a tenth of a second. McGuinness was third, with a lap of 5:05.326, narrowly shading another Honda, ridden by Belfast's Mark Lunney. The first Yamaha rounded out the top five, with David Craig edging out Darren Burns.


2009 North West 200 Races, Practice, 250cc
Thursday's session was completed before adverse weather conditions curtailed the day. Elkin continued his good form, with a lap of 4:56.654, nearly eight seconds faster than the next competitor. Denver Robb was second, ahead of McGuinness and Phil Harvey. Paul Robinson rounded out the top five on his Honda.


2009 North West 200 Races, Practice, 125cc
The only Aprilia in the field topped the Tuesday timesheets, with Ballywalter's David Lemon riding it to a lap of 5:20.756 and the only 100 mph lap of the session. Although, William Dunlop recorded a 100 mph lap, he did not complete enough laps to qualify. Lemon's time was good enough to give him a three-second advantage over Oliver Linsdell's Honda, with Chris Palmer, Paul Robinson and James Ford, all on Hondas, rounding out the top five.


2009 North West 200 Races, Practice, 125cc
Thursday's session was completed before adverse weather conditions curtailed the day. William Dunlop topped the session, improving on his non-qualifying time from Tuesday, but was still over a second shy from the best time of the week, set by Lemon. Lemon was only fourth in the session, with Palmer and Robinson both slotting in between.


2009 North West 200 Races, Races, Race 1; 250cc Race final standings
Fastest Lap: Michael Dunlop, 4'55.591 on lap 2 (109.197 miles per hour (175.736 km/h))


2009 North West 200 Races, Races, Race 2; Superbike Race Race final standings
Fastest Lap: Steve Plater, 4'22.577 on lap 2 (122.926 miles per hour (197.830 km/h))


2009 North West 200 Races, Races, Race 3; Supersport Race final standings
Fastest Lap: Steve Plater, 4' 33.126 on lap 2 (118.178 miles per hour (190.189 km/h))


2009 North West 200 Races, Races, Race 4; 125cc Race final standings
Fastest Lap: William Dunlop, 5' 18.482 on lap 2 (101.348 miles per hour (163.104 km/h))


2009 North West 200 Races, Races, Race 5; Superstock Race final standings
Fastest Lap: Alastair Seeley, 4' 27.40 on lap 2 (120.872 miles per hour (194.525 km/h))


2009 North Yorkshire County Council election
Elections to North Yorkshire County Council took place on 4 June 2009, having been delayed from 7 May, in order to coincide with elections to the European Parliament.


2009 Northamptonshire County Council election
Elections to Northamptonshire County Council took place on 4 June 2009, having been delayed from 7 May, in order to coincide with elections to the European Parliament. The Liberal Democrats replaced The Labour Party as the main opposition.


2009 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2009 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament began on May 21 and ended on May 23, 2009, at New Britain Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut. The league's top four teams competed in the double elimination tournament. Fourth-seeded Monmouth won their fourth tournament championship and earned the Northeast Conference's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2009 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The top four finishers were seeded one through four based on conference regular-season winning percentage.


2009 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player
Chris Collazo was named Tournament Most Valuable Player. Collazo was a second baseman for Monmouth who  hit .600 (9-for-15) and drove in six runs over the three games.


2009 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2009 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held on March 5th, 8th, and 11th. The tournament featured the league's top eight seeds. The tourney opened on March 5 with the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals on March 8 and the finals on March 11. The champion, Robert Morris, earned a trip to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.


2009 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The top eight eligible men's basketball teams in the Northeast Conference receive a berth in the conference tournament. After the conference season, teams are seeded by conference record. The semifinals matchups will be the highest and lowest remaining seeds in one game and the other two seeds in the other game. All games are held at the home court of the higher-seeded team.


2009 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, All-tournament team
Jeremy Chappell, RMUKelly Beidler, MSMJoey Henley, SHURob Robinson, RMUJustin Rutty, QU


2009 Northeast Grand Prix
The 2009 American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix was the fifth round of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season. It took place at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut on July 18, 2009.


2009 Northeast Grand Prix
The race was won by Simon Pagenaud and Gil de Ferran in the de Ferran Motorsports Acura, their third American Le Mans Series victory in a row. Dyson Racing Team earned their first victory with Mazda in the LMP2 category, overcoming several mechanical issues during the race. Flying Lizard Motorsports continued their season streak with their fourth consecutive win, while Gruppe Orange won in the ALMS Challenge category.


2009 Northeast Grand Prix
Corsa Motorsports also became the first American Le Mans Series competitor to utilize a hybrid electric drivetrain on their Le Mans Prototype during an event, eventually completing the race in third position.


2009 Northeast Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2009 Northeast Grand Prix, Report, Race, Race results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 Northeastern Huskies football team
The 2009 Northeastern Huskies football team represented Northeastern University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Northeastern competed as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) under head football coach Rocky Hager and played their home games at Parsons Field. The 2009 campaign was the final year that Northeastern fielded a football team. The decision to drop the program after this season cited financial problems, poor attendance, and very few winning seasons.


2009 Northern Colorado Bears football team
The 2009 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by fourth-year head coach Scott Downing and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 3–8 overall and 1–7 in the Big Sky to place in a three-way tie for fifth.


2009 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Northern Cyprus on 19 April 2009, a year earlier than necessary. The early election was decided upon by the ruling Republican Turkish Party. Winning the largest portion of the vote, the National Unity Party won the election, and the party chairman, Derviş Eroğlu, became Prime Minister.


2009 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election
171,000 Cypriots were eligible to vote. It has been claimed that of these as many as 100,000 were originally Turkish immigrants.


2009 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election, Results
The National Unity Party (UBP) won the election with 44% of the vote. The Republican Turkish Party (CTP) received 29% of the vote.


2009 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election, Analysis
The UBP's strong anti-unification position means that the results are likely to halt UN efforts to reunify Cyprus. However, the UBP stated after its election victory that it wanted the talks to continue. The UBP remains opposed to a federalist solution, however, and prefers a two-state solution; while analysts have stated that the UBP is unlikely to directly work against the talks, it might shore up resentment and opposition if the talks drag on too long or if it considers the outcome to be unfavourable.


2009 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election, Reactions
Derviş Eroğlu, the UBP chairman and the Prime Minister, stated, "I am proud that Turkey is our main native country. Thanks to our native country we are living calm and safe." In addition, many Turkish Cypriots celebrated the UBP victory. On the other hand, Greek news agency ANA-MPA reported "despair has gripped the Republic of Cyprus" following the release of early election results.


2009 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election, Reactions
Some analysts say that the new parliament could create difficulties for Mehmet Ali Talat, the peace negotiator for the Turkish Cypriots. With Talat's party gaining slightly fewer seats, "... it is obviously going to limit Talat's ability to act in a lot of ways, you know parliament is going to have a much greater say in all of this and really can tie his hands."


2009 Northern Illinois Huskies football team
The 2009 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Northern Illinois competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division. The team was coached by Jerry Kill (2nd Season) and played their home games in Huskie Stadium. The Huskies finished the season 7–6, 5–3 in MAC play and lost in the International Bowl 27–3 against South Florida.


2009 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
The 2009 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa in the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The previous year's team finished tied for first (of nine) in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVC). The team was coached by Mark Farley and played their home games in the UNI-Dome. The team finished with a record of 7–4 (5–3 MVC).


2009 Northern Iowa Panthers football team, Season
Defensive End Jason Ruffin was selected to the East-West Shrine Bowl.


2009 Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament
The 2009 Milk Cup Tournament will run between 27 and 31 July. The Milk Cup is a prestigious association football tournament and is divided into three categories: Elite, Premier, and Junior for differing age groups.


2009 Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament
The Elite section had six teams in 2009, divided into two groups of three followed by a playoff, whilst the Junior and Premier sections were contested by 24 and 20 teams, respectively. Each team played once on Monday and Tuesday as part of a league, from which the top eight teams qualified for the Milk Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday. The remainder of the teams qualify for other cups that run alongside the Milk Cup, with quarter-finals on the Wednesday, semi-finals on Thursday, and the finals on Friday.


2009 Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament
Clubs and national teams from anywhere in the world may compete on invitation.


2009 Northern Mariana Championship
The 2009 Northern Mariana Championship was the fourth season of top-flight football in Northern Marianas Islands. The competition was won by Inter Godfather's, previously known as Fiesta Inter Saipan.


2009 Northern Mariana Championship, Final table
Unlike previous seasons where play offs had been employed, this season was a normal league format in which each team played the others twice. Remington were new entrants to the league and FC Arirang were renamed Korean FA.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election
General elections were held in the Northern Mariana Islands on 7 November 2009, electing the Governor, the Legislature, four mayors, the Board of Education and nine municipal council members. There were also four referendums.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Background
A total of 16,146 voters registered to vote with the Commonwealth Election Commission for the 2009 election. That is a 15% increase in voters compared to the 15,118 people who registered to vote in the 2005 general election. Precinct 1 on Saipan, which includes the villages of San Antonio, San Vicente and Koblerville, had the most number of registered voters at 4,331. Voter registration ended on September 18, 2009.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Background
A total of 109 candidates vied for the 43 elected positions in the Northern Mariana Islands in the 2009 election. The contested offices included the offices of governor & lieutenant governor, the twenty seats in the House of Representative, six (of nine) seats in the Senate as well as mayoral posts and various local offices.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Background
At least 18,000 ballots designed to be read by counting machines were printed in Alabama for the 2009 election, according to the executive director of the Election Commission, Robert Guerrero.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Campaign
Major election issues included the Commonwealth's faltering economy and the federalization of the Northern Mariana Islands' immigration by the United States government.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Campaign
Republican Hofschneider and his running mate, Palacios, challenged incumbent Governor Benigno Fitial and his running mate, Lieutenant Governor Eloy Inos, in the general election. Former legislator Juan "Pan" Guerrero ran as an independent, with sitting CNMI Rep. Joe Camacho as his running mate. Another former legislator, Ramon "Kumoi" Deleon Guerrero, campaigned as an independent, with former Education Commissioner David M. Borja as his running mate. The race was widely viewed as a rematch between Fitial and Hofschneider, who was narrowly defeated in 2005.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Campaign
The gubernatorial candidates focused heavily on the estimated 3,000 Northern Mariana Islanders residing on the United States mainland, many of whom were eligible to vote be absentee ballot. Three of the four gubernatorial candidates - Governor Fitial, Hofschneider and Juan Pan Guerrero - attended a Labor Day festival for Northern Mariana Islanders in San Diego, California, in September 2009. Independent candidate Juan "Pan" Guerrero and his running mate, Joe Camacho, campaigned throughout the western United States in August and September. Guerrero and Camacho began campaigning in Salem and Portland, Oregon, before travelling to Seattle, Boise, Idaho, San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego and Honolulu.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election
The incumbent governor Benigno R. Fitial of the Covenant Party, successfully ran for a second term; his running mate, Lt. Governor Eloy Inos, was elected to his first full term. Fitial faced three challengers in the November 7 general election: Republican nominee Heinz Hofschneider, independent Juan "Pan" Guerrero, and independent Ramon "Kumoi" Deleon Guerrero.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election
Because of a law signed by Governor Fitial on July 24, 2009, a runoff election between the candidates who received the highest and second-highest vote totals would be required if no candidate obtained more than 50% of the overall vote. Under this 2009 law, a runoff would occur 14 days after the results of the general election are certified by the Commonwealth Election Commission. This election indeed required a runoff, as neither Fitial nor Hofschneider garnered more than 50% of the vote in the November 7 election.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election
On election day, Republican challenger Hofschneider received 4,900 votes and incumbent Governor Fitial received 4,892 votes, therefore advancing to the runoff election held on November 23, 2009. Of the 13,784 total votes cast in the first round on November 7, Hofschneider led Fitial by just 8 votes, the closest gubernatorial election in the history of the Northern Mariana Islands. In the November 23 runoff election, Governor Fital was reelected by a 370-vote margin. With a margin of 2.8%, this election was the closest race of the 2009 gubernatorial election cycle.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election
Fitial was elected to serve a five-year term in office as governor instead of the normal four-year term, due to the Senate Legislative Initiative 16-11, which was one of the four ballot initiatives ratified in the November 7 election. Under the Senate Legislative Initiative 16-11, future general (including gubernatorial) elections will be held only in even-numbered years instead of odd-numbered years, such as 2009. Therefore, the next gubernatorial election took place in 2014 rather than 2013.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Candidates, Republican Party
Former Northern Mariana Governor Juan N. Babauta, a Republican, declared his intention to run for governor and challenge Fitial in January 2009. His running mate was Galvin Deleon Guerrero, a member of the CNMI Board of Education. Babauta was then defeated in the Republican primary by sitting CNMI Rep. Heinz Sablan Hofschneider, a former Speaker of the House, for the Republican Party nomination. Hofschneider's running mate is CNMI Rep. Arnold Indalecio Palacios, the current Speaker of the House.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Candidates, Republican Party
Before the Republican primary, which was held on June 27, 2009, Hofschneider and Babauta signed a unity pledge, with each candidate pledging to support the winner of the primary. Hofschneider won the primary on June 27 with about 53% of the votes cast. Hofschneider won at six of the eight precincts. After the results were announced, the candidates convened and embraced; Babauta threw his support to Hofschneider and said that he would accept the people's decision. After Babauta had asked his supporters to vote for Hofschneider in the general election, Hofschneider called Babauta and his supporters "a crucial part of the campaign toward November."


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Candidates, Democratic Party
For the first time in its history, the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands did not nominate a candidate for Governor in 2009. The only offices which were contested by the Democrats in 2009 were certain seats in the legislature and the mayorship of Saipan.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Election day
Polls on election day opened at 7 a.m. on November 7, 2009. Three of the four gubernatorial candidates cast their ballots in the morning at Garapan Elementary School in Garapan, Saipan. Incumbent Governor Benigno Fitial and First Lady Josie Fitial voted at 7:10 a.m., Ramon "Kumoi" Deleon Guerrero arrived at the school at 7:20 a.m. and independent candidate Juan Pan Guerrero voted after 9 a.m. Republican candidate Heinz Hofschneider also voted at Garapan Elementary School at 6 p.m. later that day. An estimated 84% of registered voters participated in the election.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Election day
In the November 7 general election, Republican challenger Heinz Hofschneider received 4,900 votes and incumbent Governor Benigno Fitial received 4,892 votes, therefore both advanced to the runoff election slated for November 23, 2009. A total of 13,784 votes were cast in the first round. Hofschneider led Fitial by just eight votes, the closest gubernatorial election in the history of the Northern Mariana Islands. Independent candidates Juan Pan Guerrero and Ramon "Kumoi" Deleon Guerrero came in 3rd and 4th place respectively and, therefore, did not qualify for the second runoff election.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Election day
Under a 2009 law signed by Governor Benigno Fitial, a runoff election is required within fourteen days of the if no candidate obtained 50% of the popular vote plus 1. Since neither Fitial nor Hofschneider garnered more than 50% of the vote, a runoff date was set for November 23, 2009.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Runoff
The Commonwealth Election Commission certified the results of the general election on November 9 and set the date of the runoff election between Fitial and Hofschneider for Monday, November 23. In a November 17 memorandum, Governor Fitial declared November 23 a legal holiday in the Northern Mariana Islands to encourage voter turnout.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Runoff
The candidates qualifying for the runoff on November 23, 2009, were incumbent Covenant Party Governor Benigno Fitial and Republican candidate, Rep. Heinz Hofschneider. The incumbent ticket of Fitial-Inos campaigned for re-election on a theme of "proven leadership and proven experience," while the rival Hofscneider-Palacios campaign advocated a "change in leadership" to voters.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Runoff
Both the Fitial and Hofschneider campaigns reached out to supporters of the independent candidates who did not qualify for the November 23rd runoff, Juan Pan Guerrero and Ramon "Kumoi" Deleon Guerrero. The support of these independent voters was considered vital both Fitial's and Hofschneider's candidacies.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Runoff
Former independent candidate Juan "Pan" Guerrero declined to endorse either Fitial or Hofschneider in one-page statement released on November 13, 2009. Instead, Guerrero, who came in third in the gubernatorial election, called on CNMI voters, especially his supporters, to support the candidate who best "represents a better future for themselves, their families, and the Commonwealth." Guerrero further elaborated that, "As soon as it was clear that I would not be in the runoff election, I urged supporters to make their own choices about whom to support-Ben and Eloy or Heinz and Arnold." In his statement, Guerrero noted that he make no further public statements concerning the election before the runoff.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Runoff
Guerrero running mate in the 2009 election, Joe Camacho, issued his own statement on November 12 endorsing the Covenant Party ticket of Governor Benigno Fitial and Lt. Governor Eloy Inos for re-election. Camacho's brother, Clyde Norita, who was the chairman for the Executive Committee to Elect Juan Pan and Joe Camacho, also endorsed Fitial and Inos.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Runoff
Former independent candidate Ramon "Kumoi" Deleon Guerrero, who came in fourth place in the general election, endorsed Heinz Hofschneider and Arnold Palacios for governor and lt. governor. Deleon Guerrero cited the wishes of his supporters and support for reforms advocated by Hofschneider, as well as alleged broken promises by the Fitial administration, for his endorsement. He further cited similarities between his own campaign and Hofschneider's messages, "Hofschneider and Palacios have whole-heartedly embraced these visions. They have even taken to heart, our campaign theme of "Time For Change." Deleon Guerrero stated that Fitial had failed to deliver on a number of promises during his term in office, such as economic growth, improved healthcare and the removal of fuel surcharges.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Runoff
However, Deleon Guerrero's running mate, former Education Commissioner David Borja, endorsed Governor Fitial for re-election. Fitial was also endorsed by the Deleon Guerrero-Borja campaign chairman, Rudy R. Sablan, and seven other senior members of the campaign team.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Gubernatorial election, Runoff
On December 8, after all ballots had been counted, Fitial was declared the victor in the runoff. He and Inos received 6,610 votes, while Hofschneider and Palacios received 6,240 votes.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Legislature
All 20 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives were contested in the election. Six seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate were up for election.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Legislature
Before the 2009 election, the Republican Party controlled the 20-member House of Representatives with a 12-seat majority. The Senate was controlled by the Covenant Party in a coalition with the Democrats and a lone independent.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Mayoral elections
All four mayoral posts were up for election across the Commonwealth.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Mayoral elections
There were nine candidates for mayor on the island of Saipan: Republican Donald Flores, who won the election, as well as Covenant candidate Marian Tudela, Democrat Angelo Villagomez, and Independent candidates Candy Taman, Joe Sanchez, Roman Benavente, Juan Demapan, Tony Camacho and Lino Tenorio.


2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election, Referendums, Education system
Do you approve of House Legislative Initiative 15-3 to amend Article XV, Section 1(c) and (e) of the Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands to one member being a high school student – one member selected by the teachers within the Public School System – the selection process of a public school teacher representative shall be established by law – the elected board members shall be limited to two terms – and the public elementary and secondary education system shall be guaranteed an annual budget of not less than 15 percent of the general revenues of the Commonwealth through an annual appropriation?


2009 Northern Pride RLFC season
2009 was the second competitive season for the Cairns based CRGT Northern Pride Rugby League Football Club. They competed in the QRL state competition, which in 2009 was called the Wizard Queensland Cup. The addition of the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles meant 12 clubs participated, with each club playing 22 matches (11 home and 11 away) over 26 weeks. In 2009 the Wizard Queensland Cup introduced a six-team finals series (compared to five in previous years).


2009 Northern Pride RLFC season
The Pride finished second and reached the Grand Final, losing 32–18 to the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles at Stockland Park. Coach Andrew Dunemann left at the end of the season to take up a position as assistant coach to Rick Stone at the Newcastle Knights.


2009 Northern Pride RLFC season, 2009 Televised Games
In 2009 games were televised by ABC TV and shown live across Queensland through the ABC1 channel at 2.00pm (AEST) on Saturday afternoons. The commentary team was Gerry Collins, Warren Boland and David Wright.


2009 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team
The 2009 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team was an American football team that won the 2009 NCAA Division II national championship.


2009 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team
The team represented Northwest Missouri State University in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) during the 2009 NCAA Division II football season. In their 16th season under head coach Mel Tjeerdsma, the Bearcats compiled a 14–1 record (9–0 against conference opponents) and won the MIAA championship. The team lost the season opener to Abilene Christian and then won 14 consecutive games. The 2009 Bearcats averaged 42 points and 632 yards of offense per game.


2009 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team
The team advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs and won the national championship by defeating Grand Valley State, 30–23, in the championship game.


2009 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team
The Bearcats' statistical leaders included LaRon Council with 1,819 rushing yards,  Blake Bolles with 4,146 passing yards, Jake Soy with 1,559 receiving yards and 162 points scored.


2009 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team
The team played its home games at Bearcat Stadium in Maryville, Missouri.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team
The 2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University in the Big Ten during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Pat Fitzgerald, in his fourth season at Northwestern, was the team's head coach. The Wildcats home games were played at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. The Wildcats finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in Big Ten play and lost in the Outback Bowl 35–38 in overtime against Auburn.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Towson
It was apparent that Towson didn't stand a chance from the get-go. Northwestern raced out to a 30–0 lead before putting in the reserves out of mercy. To Towson's credit, they did go toe-to-toe with Northwestern's second and third stringers, which is no small feat, given that Northwestern is a somewhat prestigious FBS school and Towson is a mostly unheralded FCS school. The game allowed both teams to get some experience for the future and the final 35 minutes gave Northwestern's younger players some good game experience. This would prove to be one of Northwestern's few blowout wins of the 2009 season.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Eastern Michigan
Northwestern seemed poised to cruise to another dominating blowout victory when they raced out to a 21–3 halftime lead and still held a fairly comfortable 21–10 lead after three quarters and widened the lead to 24–10 early in the 4th. Northwestern eventually found themselves only ahead 24–17 and soon the game was tied at 24–24. To avoid the game going into overtime, the Wildcats finished off the stubborn Eagles with a field goal.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Syracuse
Fresh off of a closer than expected win over Eastern Michigan, Northwestern went to the Carrier Dome to face a Syracuse team that had played Minnesota down to the wire in week one before being obliterated by a Penn State team that didn't allow a single Orange point until the reserves were all subbed in.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Syracuse
This game would go Syracuse's way, however as the up and down Orange, who would later secure a win over a talented Rutgers team (but in blowout fashion 31–13), engaged in a shootout with Northwestern, finally kicking the all important field goal to win the game as time expired. This put Syracuse at 1–2 and Northwestern at 2–1.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Minnesota
Going toe-to-toe with a Gophers team that had beaten the same Syracuse team that the Wildcats had lost to, Northwestern plays a close game with Minnesota, even leading 24–21 going into the final quarter before Minnesota takes momentum back to win the game 35–24, putting the Wildcats at 2–2. But still, no blowout losses.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Purdue
The Boilermakers race out to a 14–3 first quarter lead and still hold a 21–16 halftime lead, but the Wildcats steal one from the stubborn and better than their record Boilermakers (who would later on upset the Buckeyes) with a second half rally. Still trailing 21–19 after three, the final Northwestern touchdown puts them ahead 27–21 for the win.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Miami (OH)
Unlike the game with Eastern Michigan, this one wouldn't come down to theatrics, Northwestern led 10–0 after one and scored six more in the third quarter to take a commanding 16–0 lead. Poised for the shutout, Miami got on the board late in the fourth quarter, but Northwestern denied them the two-point conversion to make it a game.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Michigan State
Facing another better than their record Big Ten team, this time Northwestern wouldn't get so lucky. Leading 7–0 at halftime, they soon trailed 17–7 after three, and despite giving Michigan State all they could handle, the game was destined to go Sparty's way.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Indiana
If there is any team better than their record in 2009, it's Indiana. Despite blowout losses to Iowa (42–24) and Ohio State (33–14) which are understandable, the Hoosiers had one ugly blemish on their schedule, a 47–7 loss to a Virginia team that had no business keeping it competitive with Indiana, let alone winning like that. Indiana also suffered a 31–20 loss to Penn State that wasn't as close as the score.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Indiana
However, Indiana played like they were the heavy favorite going into this game taking a commanding 21–0 first quarter lead and still rolled it up to 28–7 early in the second before Northwestern cut it close to 28–17. Trailing 28–19 after a quiet third quarter that saw only a safety, the Wildcats would not be denied. Northwestern turned the game into a win by scoring ten fourth quarter points.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Penn State
Handing Northwestern their only blowout loss of 2009, Penn State was shut down by Northwestern's offense for the first 40 minutes of the game until they finally got some momentum late in the third quarter, scoring three rapid fourth-quarter touchdowns to give the game an appearance of being a much easier win for Penn State than it really was. Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka was injured late in the game, which led to backup Dan Persa being thrust under the lights. After the injury, NU's offense could do little against the vaunted Penn State defense. Regardless, this was Northwestern's only humiliating loss of what was a mostly positive 2009 season.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Iowa
Licking their wounds from the massacre at the hands of Penn State, the Wildcats traveled to Kinnick Stadium to take on the undefeated Hawkeyes, ranked #4 in the BCS, fresh off of a 42–24 blowout win over Indiana, who actually led 21–7 early on over Iowa and still led 24–14 deep in the game before Iowa took command in the second half. It looked early on like Iowa was poised to make mincemeat out of Northwestern as Penn State had done a week before. This game wouldn't go Iowa's way, however; the Hawkeyes would lose their star quarterback Ricky Stanzi in the second quarter and would never recover. Northwestern nabs their best win of 2009 by upsetting then #6 Iowa (who would finish #7 in the nation) 17–10 on the road.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Illinois
Illinois was bowl ineligible and had little to play for except pride, which they played with in this game and had shown increasing amounts of since their 38–13 upset of Michigan. Northwestern controlled the game for three quarters before Illinois suddenly sprang to life, but the Wildcats hung on to beat the pesky Illini 21–16, and win the inaugural Land of Lincoln Trophy, which replaced the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Regular season, Wisconsin
Northwestern managed to grab their second major upset of 2009 against the Badgers under the lights at Ryan Field. It looked like Wisconsin was going to get blown out as the Wildcats raced out to a 27–14 halftime lead, but Wisconsin fought back to make it 30–24 after three, but Northwestern recovered a fumble on Wisky's final drive to hang on to their second big upset of 2009, winning 33–31.


2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Outback Bowl, Auburn
In what is remembered as one of the most entertaining bowl games of all time, Mike Kafka set bowl game records with 78 passing attempts and 47 completions. After a back and forth affair with numerous turnovers and missed field goals, overtime seemed only fitting. With kicker Stefan Demos hurt, Northwestern tried a fake field goal which failed, giving Auburn, the next year's national champions, the victory.


2009 Norton 360 Sandown Challenge
The 2009 Norton 360 Sandown Challenge was the seventh race meeting of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It contained Races 13 and 14 of the series and was held on the weekend of 1–2 August at Sandown Raceway, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.


2009 Norwegian Figure Skating Championships
The 2009 Norwegian Figure Skating Championships was held in Bergen from January 15 to 17, 2009. Skaters competed in the discipline of single skating. The results were used to choose the teams to the 2009 World Championships, the 2009 European Championships, the 2009 Nordic Championships, and the 2009 World Junior Championships.


2009 Norwegian First Division
The 2009 1. divisjon (referred to as Adeccoligaen for sponsorship reasons) was a Norwegian second-tier football season. The season began play on 5 April 2009 and will end on 1 November 2009.


2009 Norwegian First Division
The club relegated from the Tippeligaen in 2008 was Ham-Kam. Sandnes Ulf and Hødd were relegated to the 2. divisjon in 2008 after finishing in fifteenth and sixteenth place respectively. Tromsdalen, Stavanger, Mjøndalen, and Skeid were promoted from the 2. divisjon in 2008.


2009 Norwegian First Division
At the end of the season, a two-legged promotion playoff will be played between the 3rd, 4th, and 5th placed teams in the 1. divisjon and the 14th placed team in the Tippeligaen.


2009 Norwegian First Division, Promotion play-offs
The two winning sides from the first round, Sarpsborg 08 and Kongsvinger, took part in a two-legged play-off to decide who would play in the 2010 Tippeligaen.


2009 Norwegian First Division, Promotion play-offs
Kongsvinger won 5–4 on aggregate and were promoted to the 2010 Tippeligaen.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup
The 2009 Norwegian Football Cup was the 104th season of the Norwegian annual knockout football tournament. The competition started with two qualifying rounds on 13 April and 22 April, and the final was held on 8 November. The defending champions were Vålerenga.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup
The winners of the Cup, Aalesund, could call themselves Champions of Norway, and qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, First qualifying round
The match-ups were selected by the association on 17 March, the matches were played on 13 April or earlier.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Second qualifying round
The match-ups were selected by the association on 15 April, the matches were played on 22 April or earlier.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, First round
The match-ups were selected by the association on 28 April, the matches were played on 9–10 May and 13 May.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, First round
Verdal - Vålerenga 1 - 6Asker - FK Tønsberg 2 - 1Bossekop - Tromsdalen 0 - 1Eidsvold TF - Valdres 2 - 0Fjøra - Løv-Ham 0 - 1Flisa - Kongsvinger 0 - 0 a.e.t. (Kongsvinger won 5 - 4 on a penalty shootout)Klepp - Bryne 1 - 5Mysen - Follo 1 - 5Raufoss - Ullern 3 - 1Redalen IL - Nybergsund-Trysil 0 - 1Skjetten - Kjelsås 1 - 2 a.e.t. Strømmen - Korsvoll 2 - 0Vindbjart - Randaberg 1 - 3Ørn-Horten - Sarpsborg 08 3 - 4


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, First round
Fløya - Tromsø 0 - 4Brattvåg IL - Aalesund 0 - 5Frigg - Lyn 0 - 4Gjøvik FF - Rosenborg 0 - 4Konnerud IL - Strømsgodset 2 - 4 a.e.t. Nordstrand - Fredrikstad 0 - 7Odda FK - Viking 1 - 6Sander - Stabæk 0 - 5Tornado Måløy - Molde 1 - 8Trauma - Start 1 - 4Østsiden - Lillestrøm 2 - 3Egersund IK - Kopervik 3 - 3 a.e.t. (Kopervik won 5 - 3 on a penalty shootout)Elnesvågen/Omegn - Skarbøvik 1 - 2Elverum - Ham-Kam 1 - 4 a.e.t. FF Lillehammer - KFUM 1 - 1 a.e.t.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, First round
(Lillehammer won 4 - 1 on a penalty shootout)Fjellhamar - Lørenskog 1 - 2Follese - Fyllingen 1 - 2Fram Larvik - Drammen FK 1 - 2 a.e.t. Frøyland - Haugesund 1 - 4Grüner - Ullensaker/Kisa 2 - 5Hasle-Løren - Drøbak-Frogn 0 - 2Jevnaker - Mjøndalen 1 - 1 a.e.t.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, First round
(Mjøndalen won 4 - 3 on a penalty shootout)Kattem - Levanger 1 - 5KIL/Hemne - Byåsen 0 - 2Kolstad - Ranheim 2 - 3Kristiansund BK - Nardo 5 - 2Kvik Halden - Skeid 2 - 1Lyngbø - Fana 1 - 0Lyngdal - Stavanger 1 - 6Mjølner - Harstad 2 - 2 a.e.t.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, First round
(Mjølner won 9 - 8 on a penalty shootout)Mo - Stålkameratene 1 - 2Pors Grenland - Notodden 1 - 2Rakkestad IF - Moss 0 - 6Røa - Manglerud Star 3 - 1Sandar - Bærum 0 - 3Sandnes Ulf - Mandalskameratene 4 - 2Senja - Bodø/Glimt 0 - 1Skarp - Alta 1 - 2Smørås IL - Sogndal 0 - 4Stathelle/Omegn - Sandefjord Fotball 2 - 4Steinkjer - Charlottenlund 8 - 2Stord - Nest-Sotra 0 - 2Strindheim - Tiller 5 - 0Træff - Hødd 1 - 2Vadmyra - Åsane 1 - 2 a.e.t. Vard Haugesund - Vidar 0 - 4Ålgård - Flekkerøy  3 - 2 a.e.t. Årvoll - Hønefoss 0 - 3


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, First round
Høyang - Brann 0 - 6Vestfossen - Odd Grenland 0 - 4


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Second round
The match-ups were selected by the association on 14 May, the matches were played on 24 May, 27–28 May and 4 June.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Second round
Lyngbø - Brann 0 - 2Hødd - Molde 0 - 2


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Second round
Kjelsås - Odd Grenland 1 - 2Kvik Halden - Stabæk 1 - 4Strømmen - Lillestrøm 1 - 2 a.e.t. FF Lillehammer - Ham-Kam 0 - 4Drammen FK - Mjøndalen 1 - 5Vidar - Start 1 - 3Stavanger - Sandnes Ulf 3 - 2Kopervik - Bryne 1 - 5Randaberg - Haugesund 2 - 2 a.e.t. (Haugesund won 4 - 3 on a penalty shootout)Løv-Ham - Fyllingen 3 - 0Ranheim - Steinkjer 6 - 0


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Second round
Drøbak-Frogn - Fredrikstad 1 - 2Follo - Vålerenga 0 - 2Røa - Lyn 0 - 6Lørenskog - Notodden 0 - 1Ullensaker/Kisa - Sandefjord Fotball 1 - 0Hønefoss - Raufoss 1 - 1 a.e.t. (Hønefoss won 6 - 5 on a penalty shootout)Ålgård - Viking 2 - 3Kristiansund BK - Aalesund 0 - 2Byåsen - Alta 3 - 4Levanger - Rosenborg 0 - 5Stålkameratene - Tromsø 2 - 3Mjølner - Bodø/Glimt 1 - 3Tromsdalen - Strindheim 2 - 3


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Second round
Sarpsborg 08 - Eidsvold TF 2 - 3 Nest-Sotra - Moss 2 - 1Sogndal - Åsane 2 - 1


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Second round
Bærum - Strømsgodset 3 - 1Kongsvinger - Skarbøvik 4 - 0Nybergsund-Trysil - Asker 1 - 3


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Third round
The match-ups were selected by the association on 5 June, the matches were played on 17–18 June.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Third round
Vålerenga - Ullensaker/Kisa 5 - 3Asker - Lillestrøm 0 - 3Eidsvold TF - Stabæk 1 - 2Ham-Kam - Lyn 0 - 2Mjøndalen - Bærum 3 - 1Notodden - Odd Grenland 0 - 2Bryne - Viking 0 - 0 a.e.t. (Bryne won 3 - 2 on a penalty shootout)Haugesund - Sogndal 1 - 2Nest-Sotra - Brann 2 - 4Aalesund - Stavanger 2 - 1Strindheim - Rosenborg 1 - 7Tromsø - Hønefoss 4 - 0Alta - Bodø/Glimt 3 - 0


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Third round
Fredrikstad - Ranheim 5 - 3 a.e.t. Molde - Kongsvinger 1 - 0Start - Løv-Ham 2 - 2 a.e.t. (Løv-Ham won 14 - 13 on a penalty shootout)


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Fourth round
This round consists of the 16 winners from the previous round. The eight matches will be played on 5, 8 and 9 July.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Fourth round
Sogndal 0 - 1 AalesundVålerenga 3 - 1 MjøndalenAlta 0 - 1 MoldeStabæk 4 - 0 Lillestrøm


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Fourth round
Brann 1 - 0 LynOdd Grenland 3 - 1 Fredrikstad


2009 Norwegian Football Cup, Results, Semi-finals
The matches were drawn on 10 August, with former Prime Minister, Kjell Magne Bondevik, drawing the first team. The team he drew were Molde, which is his favourite and hometown team. The matches are scheduled to be played on 23–24 September.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup Final
2009 Norwegian Football Cup Final was played between Molde FK and Aalesunds FK on 8 November 2009 on Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway. With both clubs hailing from Møre og Romsdal, the match was dubbed as a local derby between the league silver medalists from Molde and the pride of Ålesund, who ended up as number four from the bottom in the league.


2009 Norwegian Football Cup Final
Molde played their fifth cup final, having won in 1994 and 2005, while Aalesund played their first cup final and had the chance to win the club's first trophy ever. Molde's captain Daniel Berg Hestad was a part of both the 1994 and the 2005 winning teams, while Knut Dørum Lillebakk, Øyvind Gjerde and Marcus Andreasson became cup champions in 2005. Both Glenn Roberts and Fredrik Carlsen had the chance to win their second straight cup after winning it with Vålerenga in 2008.


2009 Norwegian Sámi parliamentary election
The 2009 Sámi parliamentary election was held in Norway on September 14, 2009. Voters elected 39 members for the Sámi Parliament of Norway.


2009 Norwegian Sámi parliamentary election
The election saw significant losses for the two dominant parties in the Sámi Parliament, the Norwegian Labour Party and Norwegian Sámi Association. Two third parties made a breakthrough, the new Árja and the Progress Party, with three seats each.


2009 Norwegian Sámi parliamentary election, Negotiations
Both the Labour Party and Norwegian Sámi Association had refused to cooperate with the Progress Party, who notably seek the dismantling of the Sámi Parliament. While both Labour and NSR were reluctant to give hold to a so-called "minor party tyranny", the parties also thought it unlikely to establish a Sámi Parliament Council together, but held that it could not be ruled entirely out. Both parties sought cooperation with the Árja Party. Árja held that they could cooperate with all parties, with the likely exception of the Progress Party, citing it "could be problematic". Árja mainly sought to establish a "bloc" together with the Kautokeino reindeer herders list, while also negotiating with both the main parties, as well as Nordkalottfolket.


2009 Norwegian Sámi parliamentary election, Negotiations, Result
In the end, a majority Sámi Parliament Council was elected, supported by the Labour Party (14 seats), Árja (3), Nordkalottfolket (1), Åarjel-Saemiej Gielh (1), and an unaffiliated Sámi resident of Southern Norway (1). The Sámi Parliament Council itself, consisted of Egil Olli (Labour) as President, Láilá Susanne Vars (Árja) as Vice President, and the council members Ellinor Marita Jåma (Åarjel-Saemiej Gielh), Marianne Balto (Labour) and Vibeke Larsen (Labour). The council was later complained in to the Control Committee by Labour politician Åge Nils Haugen, as the council violated its own equal rights laws, as it consisted of four women and only one man. The complaint was also supported by the Progress Party.


2009 Norwegian Sámi parliamentary election, Election results
Election results for the 2009 Sámi parliamentary election. Voter turnout was 68.0%.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election
The 2009 parliamentary election was held in Norway on 13 and 14 September 2009. Elections in Norway are held on a Monday in September, usually the second or third Monday, as determined by the king. Early voting was possible between 10 August and 11 September 2009, while some municipalities also held open voting on 13 September. Voters elected 169 members for the Storting, each for a four-year term. Voter turn-out in the 2009 general elections was 76.4%.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election
Candidates were elected on party lists in each of the 19 counties. The political parties nominated candidates for these lists during late 2008 and early 2009. The party lists had to be registered by 31 March 2009.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election
Although the opposition received more votes, the governing Red-Green Coalition obtained more seats in parliament. This allowed Jens Stoltenberg to continue as prime minister. Further to the right, both the Conservative Party and Progress Party increased their number of seats in parliament. The centrist Liberal Party failed to meet the electoral threshold of 4.0%, and were reduced to two representatives in Parliament.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Pre-Campaign, Proportional representation system
There are 169 seats in the Norwegian Parliament, but voters directly elect only 150 as constituency representatives, while the remaining 19 are "at-large" members—one for each county—and these are apportioned to parties based on the total national vote.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Pre-Campaign, Proportional representation system
For the purposes of parliamentary elections, Norway is divided into 19 constituencies corresponding to the counties, including the municipal authority of Oslo, which is a county of its own. The number of members to be returned from each constituency varies from 3 to 16, according to the population and area of the county. Norway has capped the number of "fixed" seats at 150 and, to determine how to apportion those amongst the 19 counties, it uses a two-tier formula based on population and geographic size. Each inhabitant counts one point, while each square kilometer counts 1.8 points.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Pre-Campaign, Speculations
By early 2008, the Norwegian media were already speculating about possible outcomes of the election, and politicians were making statements about their preferred coalition partners. No single party has had a majority in the Norwegian parliament since 1961, and the largest party in the previous election won only 61 of the 169 seats. The overwhelming likelihood was therefore that the election would lead to the formation of a majority or minority coalition government; the Norwegian Labour Party was the only one likely to be able to form a single-party minority government.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Pre-Campaign, Speculations
Liberal Party leader Lars Sponheim said during a televised debate in early 2008 that the ruling Red-Green coalition government would face the same problems as Kjell Magne Bondevik's second coalition government. He added that the Red-Green coalition was losing its "faith in the continued majority. It does something to you and your desire for power". In an opinion poll in December 2008, 55% of the Norwegian people had most faith in the Red-Green Coalition government to lead Norway out of the financial crisis.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Labour
According to various opinion poll measurements, by late 2008 the Norwegian Labour Party was no longer the largest party in Norway. The Norstat poll for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) showed the Progress Party at 30.6%, while the Labour Party had declined to 26%. By September 2008 Labour had increased to 29.5%, while the Progress Party decreased to 29.2%. By early September, an opinion poll by Synovate put the Labour Party at 33.8%, while the Progress Party had continued to decrease to 21.4%.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Labour
After announcing their plans to tighten national immigration policy, the Labour Party gained a further 2.5% in an opinion poll done by In Fact for Verdens Gang, while the Progress Party decreased by 1.8%. Two out of three Norwegians claimed that they agreed with the new "tightening" of the immigration policy. Later, in a controversial statement, Labour Party secretary Raymond Johansen said "Siv Jensen is the biggest threat to the Norwegian oil industry", claiming that the Progress Party's oil drilling policy in Lofoten would be a mistake.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Labour
Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party Jens Stoltenberg stated that Labour would campaign for a renewed majority for the ruling Red-Green Coalition, consisting of Labour, the Socialist Left and the Centre Party. The consequences were less clear if the ruling coalition were to lose its majority—the coalition was unlikely to remain in power as a minority government. The Norwegian newspaper, Verdens Gang claimed in March 2008 that the Labour Party could form a minority government on its own if the ruling coalition should lose its parliamentary majority. The county mayor of Sør-Trøndelag, Tore O. Sandvik, was quoted as supporting this option. During a debate, however, Stoltenberg said that a non-socialist majority would yield a non-socialist government.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Labour
The Labour Party gathered 35.4% of the popular vote, which was an increase of 2.7% and resulted in three additional seats in parliament. This led to the continuation of the Red-Green Coalition government. After the election, many opposition leaders believed that the government would collapse because of the Labour Party constantly riding roughshod over their coalition partners. In an opinion poll in November, two months after the election, all parties continued to decrease, leading many to speculate that the coalition was "slipping".


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Progress
The Progress Party's One Hundred Days Plan was officially announced in August, 2009 in Trondheim. It said that the party wanted to increase "freedom of choice in all public services", making businesses "the most competitive in Europe and restoring confidence in Norway". Per Sandberg, deputy leader of the Progress Party's Sør Trøndelag chapter, blamed the One Hundred Days Plan and said; "The debate on our 100-day program laid out disappointingly fast. We can only lash ourselves to the all-time run".


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Progress
Progress Party leader Siv Jensen stated that her party would not support a coalition government in which it did not participate, thus apparently ruling out a minority coalition of the Conservatives, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats, like the government of Kjell Magne Bondevik which was in office from 2001 to 2005. She also stated that the Progress Party would have been prepared to form a minority government alone if the party won more seats in parliament than the other three non-socialist parties.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Progress
In the months before the election, the party had, as in the 2001 election, received very high poll results that steadily declined throughout the last weeks. In certain individual polls in late 2008, the party averaged around 30%, which at that point made it the most popular party in Norway, Hence the actual election result was relatively disappointing. During the election campaign in the four weeks before the election, the party dropped 3.5% in the poll. Most of these losses went to the Conservative Party, which had run a successful campaign. The Progress Party increased its share of the vote by 0.9%, a slight gain from the previous election and the best election result in the party's history.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Conservative
In the previous election, the Conservatives had their worst result since the Second World War, only obtaining 14.1% of the vote. According to various opinion polls, most notably by Norstat, they had several weak showings from May to July 2009, in what Verdens Gang described as the "summer nightmare". After this, In Fact, an opinion poll service, announced that the Conservatives had scored 15% in their poll.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Conservative
In January, Conservative Party deputy leader Per-Kristian Foss said that the party would not sit in a government without Erna Solberg as prime minister and claimed that both the Christian Democrats and the Liberals agreed with this policy. On hearing of this, Christian Democrat Party leader Dagfinn Høybråten, said that it would be natural to clarify this when the voters had had their say, but "the negotiations don't start now". After seeing the Progress Party's One Hundred Day Plan, Erna Solberg said "So I conclude that the 100-day revolution is canceled", with the two centre parties distancing themselves more from the Progress Party.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Conservative
Both the Christian Democrats and the Liberals openly supported a three-party coalition with Solberg as Prime Minister. A new Christian Democrat–Liberal–Conservative government would have avoided the need for support from the Progress Party, by leaving the draft budget from the Red-Green Coalition unchanged. This budget would then pass with support from the Red-Greens and the new non-socialist government. Further issues could then be postponed until 2010 and be handled individually. The Progress Party had promised to vote for measures with which they agree, and the Red-Green parties were expected to do the same. By the start of September, the Progress Party had lost 4.9% of its public support, and many believed that this was due to their One Hundred Day Plan. Meanwhile, the Conservative party gained 3.7%, many of whom were former Progress Party supporters.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Conservative
The Conservative Party obtained 17.2% of the vote (462,465 votes), an increase of 3.1%, earning 30 seats in parliament, 7 more than the previous election. After a "disastrous" election by the Liberal Party, its leader Lars Sponheim blamed Solberg for the bad results, accusing her of "tearing the party apart". Solberg responded with "He can't honestly believe that having political differences is to tear apart the Liberal Party".


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Socialist Left
Facing a steady decrease in support since they joined the Red-Green Coalition, the Socialist Left Party faced the prospect of one of their worst elections since the 1980s. In the 2007 local elections, their result was halved from that of the previous local elections held in 2003. By May 2009, the Socialist Left was the only party in the Red-Green Coalition whose public support increased—they averaged about 11.1% in an opinion poll.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Socialist Left
Following a severe downturn, the party improved by late August, averaging around 10% in various opinion polls. At the same time, support for the two other members of the Red-Green Coalition decreased. According to the national newspaper Dagbladet, Socialist Left's rise in popularity was due to the stands they took on environmental issues, the most important of which was oil drilling in Lofoten.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Socialist Left
During the campaign, Socialist Left Party leader Kristin Halvorsen was the target of much criticism because, during the 2005 parliamentary election, she said "I will remove poverty with a stroke of a pen". Instead, poverty had increased nationwide during the coalition's four years in government. Jens Stoltenberg said "Kristin has been a driving force to combat poverty, especially among children. But we are not satisfied, and should do more".


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Socialist Left
On 12 September the party suffered another decrease in public support, averaging 7% according to various polls. On the same day, two days before election day, party leader Halvorsen started the "24 hours – 24 measures" campaign to build up public support before the election. The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten said in one of its articles that Socialist Left was involved in an "election massacre", saying there was little hope of increasing public support in the last two days.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Socialist Left
On election night, the party lost four seats and were left with eleven, but a three-seat gain by the Labor Party secured the Red-Green coalition a majority in Parliament. The shift of power within the coalition resulted in Socialist Left losing one cabinet minister, leaving them with four, the same as the Centre Party. They ceded the influential Department of Finance to the Labour Party in order to keep control of the Department for Education and Research.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Centre
During the election, the Centre Party faced losing its core voters, the farmers, because Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen wanted to introduce higher taxes on farming, which the farming community said would lead to high unemployment. Socialist Left MP Heikki Holmås said there was no proof of high taxation leading to more unemployment. In a later statement, Transport Minister Liv Signe Navarsete admitted that she had not "been able to reduce the income gap between farmers and other income groups", saying it would be an issue she would discuss with the Labour and Socialist Left parties.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Centre
When the results were announced, the party received a 6.2% share (165,014 votes), a decline from 6.5%. This entitled them to as many Cabinet members as the Socialist Left, whose share of the vote had fallen from 8.8% to 6.2%.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Christian Democratic
According to election analysts, the Christian Democratic Party was able to win more votes because of its strong opposition to the Marriage Act of 2008, which gave gay people the right to marry. They believed that same-sex marriage would damage children's upbringing, and party leader Dagfinn Høybråten claimed that marriage is primarily for a man and a woman.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Christian Democratic
During the national convention, Høybråten made a speech attacking the Red-Green Coalition. His most important message was an attack on the market economy and consumer thinking in Norway. In a later statement, Høybråten said "I challenge those on the Right who have conservative values, those who are not so concerned about dollars, cents and calculators". He later admitted it would be hard to work with the Conservatives if they won the election.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Christian Democratic
A major problem facing the party was that it lost right-leaning Christian voters to the Progress Party. Many of these voters believed that the party would not be able to defend "Christian traditions" in Norway, because of its strong opposition to a government run by the Progress party. Another problem facing the party was that it was unable to refresh its image among voters.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Christian Democratic
Høybråten stated that his party would not be part of a coalition with the Progress Party, but had not ruled out supporting such a government. The Christian Democrats' preference for a coalition was with the Liberals and the Conservatives. In total, the Christian Democrats were able to gather 5.5% of the vote, a decrease from the 6.7% achieved in the 2005 election. After the announcement of their results, Deputy Leader Inger Lise Hansen sparked unrest within the party. She felt that it had become too "narrow" and wanted it to return to the "generous and popular image" it enjoyed during the 1990s. Another faction within the party wanted Høybråten to resign as party leader.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Liberal
The leader of the Liberal Party, Lars Sponheim, stated in September 2007 that his party would neither be a part of nor support a coalition that included the Progress Party, and that the Liberal Party preferred Labour Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg over Progress Party leader Siv Jensen. By late August, 2009 figures produced by Response suggested that only 2% within the Liberal Party wanted to collaborate with the Progress Party.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Liberal
Sponheim later distanced himself and his party from the Conservative Party because the Conservatives wanted to improve relations with the Progress Party, leading Sponheim to comment "A vote for the Conservatives is a vote for the Progress Party". He said that the Liberal Party was the only solid choice on the right that didn't want to be involved in a government with the Progress Party.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Liberal
During a national broadcast debate on TV2, Sponheim said that, if the Progress Party won the minority government position, he would propose a motion of no confidence in the new cabinet. If that did not work, the Liberal Party would support a minority government led by Stoltenberg and the Labour Party. The Norwegian media criticised Sponheim for being very vague and unclear when it came to the Progress Party, and the Red-Green Coalition were unsure of what side he was actually on.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Liberal
In early September, election researcher Frank Aarebot predicted a catastrophic election for the Liberal Party. The main reason for his prediction was Sponheim's policy of merging various small municipalities into larger and more efficient ones. Centre Party leader Liv Signe Navarsete called this proposal undemocratic and said that forced mergers would only make matters worse.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Liberal
On the evening of 14 September 2009, Lars Sponheim announced that he would step down as party leader, as a consequence of the results his party achieved. The Liberal Party finished below the 4% threshold for leveling seats, leaving the party with only two seats in parliament, whereas they had ten seats before the election. Sponheim, who lost his own seat in Hordaland, later blamed the Conservative Party for the bad results that hit the Liberal Party and centre politics in Norway. Later still he revealed that he and Stoltenberg were planning to include the Liberal Party in the ruling coalition. Liberal Deputy Leader Ola Elvestuen was negative towards the idea, saying that the only option for a coalition was with the Christian Democrats and the Conservatives.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Red
The Red Party was established by a merger of the Red Electoral Alliance and the Workers' Communist Party in 2007. Torstein Dahle, the leader of the Red Electoral Alliance, was elected party leader. In the 2007 county election, Red received 1.9% of the vote, increasing its share by 1.6%. In an opinion poll conducted by TNS Gallup for TV2 in late August 2009, the party received 2.7% of the popular vote, an increase of 0.7%. Such a result in the election would mean that the party would have two parliamentary representatives, one from Oslo and one from Hordaland.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Red
In total, 12 opinion polls claimed that Red would win two seats in parliament. On seeing these poll results, Dahle said he would support the Red-Green Coalition, acknowledging that he couldn't topple the closest thing to socialism to the right of Red. On 11 September, three days before election day, Jens Stoltenberg told the media that he didn't want the Red-Green Coalition to become dependent on Red in Parliament. Earlier, Ola Borten Moe from the Centre Party told Klassekampen that neither he nor his party would collaborate or affiliate themselves with Red.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Red
Red was accused of electoral fraud in late September, after a member had replaced Conservative Party tickets with Red tickets in the voting booths at Bønes Skole in Bergen. Trond R. Hole, a Conservative Party official, said he was "shocked", but assumed it was an individual and not the party that had committed the fraud. Dahle told the media that he, and the party, were strongly opposed to such a heinous crime. Later, the Conservative Party accused Red of another election fraud, this time in Oslo, but this time they had no proof to back up their claims.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Campaign, Red
On election day, an opinion poll conducted by Dagens Næringsliv predicted 1.9% of the vote for Red. It actually obtained 1.3% (36,219 votes), making it the largest party outside Parliament. 12,000 of those votes came from Oslo. In the municipality of Hordaland, Red garnered 2.5% of the vote, a decrease of 0.9% from the 2005 election. Red increased its voter share in Troms, in Nordland and in Telemark. Dahle acknowledged to the media that neither he nor his party were pleased by the results. He remained optimistic, however, calling the results a "good starting point".


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Results, Exit polls
Three exit polls, from the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), TV2 and Verdens Gang, were released at 9 pm Norwegian time on the night of the election. Both NRK and TV2 predicted a slim majority for the ruling Red-Green Coalition over the opposition parties, while Verdens Gang showed a dead heat between the blocks, both having 84 seats in Parliament. Verdens Gang's poll showed the revolutionary socialist Red Party earning two parliamentary representatives, having already promised its support to the Red-Green Coalition before the election. Due to a manual error, the exit poll used by NRK significantly overestimated the support for the Socialist Left Party.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Results, Election results
As in the 2005 elections, the Red-Green Coalition won the election with fewer votes (this time 47.9%) than the opposition parties (49.5%). Peter N. Myhre of the Progress Party complained that this meant eight years with a government that had not truly won an election, and called for an overhaul of an electoral system that, he claimed, disproportionately favours the Norwegian periphery.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Results, Election results
Hanne Marthe Narud, a political scientist at the University of Oslo, identified the result as a consequence of deliberate political planning, and in particular of a 2001 compromise in the Storting that balanced proportionality against an intent to over-represent rural areas. She explained to Dagbladet that this trend could be dated as far back as 1917, when it was argued that Oslo's status as the national capital inherently gave it greater influence, so that it should have less representation in parliament compared with rural areas.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Results, Election results
Electoral researcher Bernt Aardal stated that he had calculated the results of the election without the rural skewness. His results showed that the Labour Party and Progress Party would both lose a representative, while Red and the Liberal Party would each gain one, still giving a majority to the Red-Green Coalition.


2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, Results, Election results
The table contains the official figures as of 25 September 2009, after all the votes had been counted. Voter turnout was 76.4%.


2009 Norwegian spiral anomaly
The Norwegian spiral anomaly of 2009 (Norwegian: spiralformede lysmønsteret, "spiral-form light pattern", spiralformede lysfenomenet, "spiral-form light phenomenon") appeared in the night sky over Norway. It was visible from, and photographed from, northern Norway and Sweden. The spiral consisted of a blue beam of light with a greyish spiral emanating from one end of it. The light could be seen in all of Trøndelag to the south (the two red counties on the map to the right) and all across the three northern counties which compose Northern Norway, as well as from Northern Sweden and it lasted for 10 minutes.


2009 Norwegian spiral anomaly
According to sources, it looked like a blue light coming from behind a mountain, stopping in mid-air, and starting to spiral outwards. A similar, though less spectacular event had also occurred in Norway the month before. Both events had visual features of failed flights of Russian RSM-56 Bulava SLBMs, and the Russian Defense Ministry said shortly after that such an event had taken place on 9 December.


2009 Norwegian spiral anomaly, Initial speculations
Hundreds of calls flooded the Norwegian Meteorological Institute as residents wanted to know what they were seeing. Norwegian celebrity astronomer Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard pointed out the area over which the light had been observed was exceptionally large, covering all of Northern Norway and Trøndelag. It was also suggested that it could have been a rare, never-before-seen Northern Lights variant.


2009 Norwegian spiral anomaly, Initial speculations
UFO enthusiasts immediately began speculating whether the aerial light display could be evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence proposing among other things that it could be a wormhole opening up, or somehow was linked to the recent high-energy experiments undertaken at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.


2009 Norwegian spiral anomaly, Ballistic missile test
On 10 December 2009, the Russian Defence Ministry announced that a Bulava missile test had failed. According to a spokesman, "The missile's first two stages worked as normal, but there was a technical malfunction at the next third stage of the trajectory." Russian defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer stated to AFP that "such lights and clouds appear from time to time when a missile fails in the upper layers of the atmosphere and have been reported before ... At least this failed test made some nice fireworks for the Norwegians." Prior to the Russian statement, Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, had already suggested that the unusual light display occurred when the missile's third stage nozzle was damaged, causing the exhaust to come out sideways and sending the missile into a spin.