Online Encyclopedia
Politics of Norway
The functions of the King of Norway are mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity. Although the 1814 constitution grants important executive powers to the king, these are almost always exercised by the Council of Ministers in the name of the King (King's Council). The Council of Ministers consists of a prime minister--chosen by the political parties represented in the Storting--and other ministers.
The 165 members of the Storting are elected from 19 fylker (counties) for 4-year terms according to a complicated system of proportional representation. After elections, the Storting divides into two chambers, the Odelsting and the Lagting, which meet separately or jointly depending on the legislative issue under consideration.
The special High Court of the Realm hears impeachment cases; the regular courts include the Supreme Court (17 permanent judges and a president), courts of appeal, city and county courts, the labour court, and conciliation councils. Judges attached to regular courts are appointed by the King in council after nomination by the Ministry of Justice.
Each county is headed by a governor (fylkesmann) appointed by the King in council, with one governor exercising authority in both Oslo and the adjacent county of Akershus. Each county has a county assembly, led by a mayor, who is distinct from the governor. The counties are divided into 434 kommuner (municipalities). The municipalities are led by assemblies, which elect a board of aldermen and a mayor. Lately, the functions of the counties and municipalities have been the subject of debates, and changes may take place in the near future.
Svalbard is not considered as a county, and Jan Mayen is also ouside the counties. Svalbard has a special governor (sysselmann) with responsibility over all aspects of civil society on the islands. Among the main duties of his office is to act as a policeforce for the territory. See Government of Svalbard.
Until the 1981 election, Norway had been governed by majority Labour Party governments since 1935, except for three periods (1963, 1965-71, and 1972-73). The Labour Party lost its majority in the Storting in the 1981 elections. Since that time, minority and coalition governments have been the rule.
From 1981 to 1997, governments alternated between Labour minority governments and Conservative-led governments. Labour leader Gro Harlem Brundtland served as Prime Minister from 1990 until October 1996 when she decided to step out of politics. Labour Party leader Thorbjørn Jagland formed a new Labour government that stayed in office until October 1997. A three-party minority coalition government (Center, Christian Democratic, and Liberal parties) headed by Christian Democrat Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik moved into office when Jagland, after the September 1997 election, declared that his government would step down because the Labour Party failed to win at least 36.9% of the national vote, the percentage Labour had won in the 1993 election. That government fell in March 2000 over the issue of proposed gas-fired power plant, opposed by Bondevik due to their impact on climate change. The Labour Party's Jens Stoltenberg, a Brundtland protégé, took over in a minority Labour government but lost power in the September 2001 election when Labour posted its worst performance since World War I. Bondevik once again became Prime Minister, this time as head of a minority government with the Conservatives and Liberals in a coalition dependent upon the Progress Party.
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Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway
conventional short form: Norway
local long form: Kongeriket Norge/Noreg
local short form: Norge/Noreg
Data code: NO
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Oslo
Administrative divisions:
19 provinces (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, Møre og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trøndelag, Oppland, Oslo, Østfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sør-Trøndelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold
Dependent areas:
Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
Independence:
June 7 1905 Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved; October 26 1905 Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union
National holiday:
Constitution Day, May 17 (1814)
Constitution:
17 May 1814, modified in 1884
Legal system:
mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (voting rights are granted the same year as one's 18th birthday)
Executive branch
chief of state: King Harald V (since January 17 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, son of the monarch (born July 20 1973)
head of government: Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik (since 19 October 2001)
cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of the Parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the Parliament
Norwegian ministries
- Statsministerens kontor (Office of the Prime Minister)
- Arbeids- og sosialdepartementet (Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs)
- Barne- og familiedepartementet (Ministry of Children and Family Affairs)
- Finansdepartementet (Ministry of Finance)
- Fiskeri- og kystdepartementet (Ministry of Fisheries)
- Forsvarsdepartementet (Ministry of Defence)
- Helse- og omsorgsdepartementet (Ministry of Health and Care Services)
- Justis- og politidepartementet (Ministry of Justice and the Police)
- Kommunal- og regionaldepartementet (Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development)
- Kultur- og kyrkjedepartementet (Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs)
- Landbruks- og matdepartementet (Ministry of Agriculture and Food)
- Miljøverndepartementet (Ministry of the Environment)
- Moderniseringsdepartementet (Ministry of Modernisation)
- Nærings- og handelsdepartementet (Ministry of Trade and Industry)
- Olje- og energidepartementet (Ministry of Petroleum and Energy)
- Samferdselsdepartementet (Ministry of Transport and Communications)
- Utdannings- og forskningsdepartementet (Ministry of Education and Research)
- Utenriksdepartementet (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Legislative branch:
modified unicameral Parliament or Storting ("Great Council") which, for certain purposes, divides itself into two chambers (165 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) note: for certain purposes, the Parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting
Governmental organisations: Økokrim
Elections
Main article: Elections in Norway
Last held 10 September 2001 (next to be held NA September 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party
Party % Seats Labour Party 24.3 43 Conservative Party 21.2 38 Progress Party 14.6 26 Socialist Left Party 12.5 23 Christian People's Party 12.4 22 Center Party 5.6 10 Liberal Party 3.9 2 Coastal Party 1.7 1 Other 3.8 -
Judicial branch
Supreme Court or Høyesterett, justices appointed by the monarch, with approval from Parliament.
International organization participation
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, International Maritime Organization, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, Zangger Committee
Flag description
See: Flag of Norway
Political parties and leaders
A list of Norwegian political parties and their leaders is included in List of political parties in Norway