Politics of Norway

Politics of Norway
Constitution
Monarchy King Harald V Crown Prince Haakon
Government current cabinet ) Prime Minister (list) Jonas Gahr Støre List of governments
Parliament Storting President: Masud Gharahkhani Norwegian Parliamentary Ombudsman Political parties Politicians
Recent elections Parliamentary: 2021 2017 2013 2009 Local: 2023 2019 2015 2011
Local government Administrative divisions Counties (Fylker) Municipalities (Kommuner) Sámi Parliament
Foreign relations European Union relations Membership of International organizations
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The politics of Norway take place in the framework of a

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:

• 4 November 1814: Constitution reenacted in order to form a personal union with the king of Sweden
• 1851: Constitutional prohibition against admission of
  Jew clause
  )
• 1884:
  constitutional custom. All new laws are passed and all new governments are therefore formed de jure by the King, although not de facto
  . After elections resulting in no clear majority, the King appoints the new government de facto
• 1887: Prohibition against
  monastic
  orders lifted
• 1898: Universal male suffrage established
• 1905: Union with Sweden dissolved
• 1913: Universal suffrage established
• 1956: Religious freedom formalised and prohibition against
  Jesuits lifted (see Jesuit clause
  )
• 2004: New provision on freedom of expression, replacing the old § 100
• 2007: Removed the old system of division of Stortinget into the Odelsting and Lagting (took effect after the 2009 general election). Changes to the Court of Impeachment.
  constitutional custom
  ) (new § 15)

• Office of the Prime Minister
  (Statsministerens kontor)
• Ministry of Agriculture and Food
  (Landbruks- og matdepartementet)
• Ministry of Children and Equality
  (Barne- og likestillingsdepartementet)
• Ministry of Culture
  (Kulturdepartementet)
• Ministry of Defence
  (Forsvarsdepartementet)
• Ministry of Education and Research
  (Kunnskapsdepartementet)
• Ministry of the Environment
  (Miljøverndepartementet)
• Ministry of Finance
  (Finansdepartementet)
• Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs
  (Fiskeri- og kystdepartementet)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  (Utenriksdepartementet)
• Ministry of Government Administration and Reform
  (Fornyings- og administrasjonsdepartementet)
• Ministry of Health and Care Services
  (Helse- og omsorgsdepartementet)
• Ministry of Justice and the Police
  (Justis- og politidepartementet)
• Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion
  (Arbeids- og inkluderingsdepartementet)
• Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development
  (Kommunal- og regionaldepartementet)
• Ministry of Petroleum and Energy
  (Olje- og energidepartementet)
• Ministry of Trade and Industry
  (Nærings- og handelsdepartementet)
• Ministry of Transport and Communications
  (Samferdselsdepartementet)

Governments 1935–1981

The

Norway was ruled by Labour governments from 1945 to 1981, except for three periods (1963, 1965–1971, and 1972–1973). The Labour Party had a single party majority in the Storting from 1945 to 1961. Since then no party has single-handedly formed a majority government, hence minority and coalition governments have been the rule. After the centre-right Willoch government lost its parliamentary majority in the election of 1985, there were no majority governments in Norway until the second Stoltenberg government was formed after the 2005 election.

Governments 1981–2005

From 1981 to 1997, governments alternated between minority Labour governments and Conservative-led centre-right governments. The centre-right governments gained power in three out of four elections during this period (1981, 1985, 1989), whereas Labour toppled those governments twice between elections (1986, 1990) and stayed in power after one election (1993). Elections take place in September and governments change in October of election years.

After the election of 1989 a centre-right coalition was formed with the same three parties as in 1983–1986, this time headed by Conservative leader Jan P. Syse. This coalition governed from 1989 to November 1990 when it collapsed from inside over the issue of Norwegian membership in the European Economic Area.

When Brundtland resigned in 1996, Labour leader Thorbjørn Jagland formed a new Labour government that stayed in office until October 1997 when he, 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.

A three-party minority coalition of the

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 in 2001, this time as head of a minority coalition of the

In the 2009 general election the coalition parties kept the majority in the Storting by winning 86 out of 169 seats.^[6] Stoltenberg's second cabinet thus continued. There have been several reshuffles in the cabinet during its existence.

Cabinet 2013–2021

In the 2013 election, the incumbent red–green coalition government obtained 72 seats and lost its majority. The election ended with a victory for the four opposition non-socialist parties, winning a total of 96 seats out of 169 (85 needed for a majority).^[7] Following convention, Stoltenberg's government resigned and handed over power in October 2013. The Labour Party, however, remained the largest party in parliament with 30.8% of the popular vote. The Progress Party also lost ground, but nevertheless participates in the new cabinet led by Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg.^[8] Among the smaller parties, the centrist Liberal Party and Christian Peoples Party hold the balance of power. Both campaigned on a change in government. On 30 September the two smaller parties announced that they would support a minority coalition of the Conservative and Progress parties, but they would not take seats in the cabinet themselves. The new Erna Solberg government was re-elected in 2017.^[9] In January 2020, right-wing Progress Party left the government. Prime Minister Erna Solberg continued with a minority government consisting of three coalition partners — her own Conservatives, the centrist Liberal Party and the Christian Democrats.^[10]

Current cabinet

In the

See also the category Norwegian politicians and list of Norwegian governments.

Legislative branch

Norway has a unicameral parliament, the

The Storting currently has 169 members (increased from 165, effective from the