Politics of Norway
The politics of Norway take place in the framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Executive power is exercised by the Council of State, the cabinet, led by the prime minister of Norway. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the legislature, the Storting, elected within a multi-party system. The judiciary is independent of the executive branch and the legislature.
Politics of Norway
Prime Minister
Monarch
The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Norway a "full democracy" in 2022.[1] According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Norway was 2023 the second most electoral democratic country in the world.[2] Reporters Without Borders ranked Norway 1st in the world in the 2019 Press Freedom Index.[3] Freedom House's 2020 Freedom in the World report classified Norway as "free", scoring maximum points in the categories of "political rights" and "civil liberties".[4]
The Norwegian constitution, signed by the Eidsvoll assembly on 17 May 1814, transformed Norway from being an absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy. The 1814 constitution granted rights such as freedom of speech (§100) and rule of law (§§ 96, 97, 99). Important amendments include:
Monthly national election poll results.
Monthly national election poll results for the smaller parties.
Elections are to be held every four years on the second Monday of September.
Impeachment[edit]
Impeachment may be brought against Members of the Council of State, or of the Supreme Court or of the Storting, for criminal offenses which they may have committed in their official capacity. Indictments are raised by the Storting and judged by five Supreme Court justices and six lay judges.
Administrative divisions[edit]
The mainland of Norway is divided into 11 counties (fylker, singular fylke): Agder, Innlandet, Møre og Romsdal, Nordland, Oslo, Rogaland, Vestfold og Telemark, Troms og Finnmark, Trøndelag, Vestland, and Viken. This was reduced in 2020 from 18.[14] In addition are the island group Svalbard and the island Jan Mayen.
Counties and municipalities have local autonomy, but this autonomy is circumscribed by national controls. Counties and municipalities are subject to the oversight of a governor (statsforvalter) appointed by the King in the Council of State. One governor exercises authority in both Oslo and the adjacent county of Viken. Each county has a directly elected county assembly, led by a mayor, which decides upon matters falling within purview of the counties (upper secondary and vocational education, some culture, transport and social services). There is also a governor (sysselmester) on Svalbard, who is under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and not the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development as the other counties.
The counties are divided into 356 municipalities (kommuner, singular kommune) as of 2020.[15] The municipalities are led by directly elected assemblies, which elect a board of aldermen and a mayor. Some municipalities, most notably Oslo, have a parliamentary system of government, where the city council elects a city government that is responsible for executive functions. Some municipalities are also divided into municipal districts or city districts (again, Oslo is one of these) responsible for certain welfare and culture services. These districts are also headed by political assemblies, in some cases elected directly by the citizens. The municipalities deal with a wide range of planning issues and welfare services, and are mostly free to engage in activities which are not explicitly restricted by law. Lately, the functions of the counties and municipalities have been the subject of debates, and changes may take place in the near future.
Dependent areas[edit]
Norway has three dependent areas, all in or near Antarctica: Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, Queen Maud Land in Antarctica, and Peter I Island off West Antarctica. The Norwegian Act of 27 February 1930 declares these areas are subject to Norwegian sovereignty as dependencies.
An attempt to annex East Greenland ended in defeat at the Hague Tribunal in 1933.