Storting
Encyclopedia
The Storting is the supreme legislature
of Norway
, located in Oslo
. The unicameral parliament
has 169 members, and is elected every four years based on party-list
proportional representation
in nineteen plural member constituencies. The assembly is led by a presidium of a president and five vice presidents; since 2009 Dag Terje Andersen
has been president. The members are allocated to twelve standing committees, as well as four procedural committees. Almost all public agencies of Norway are subordinate to the government, but three ombudsmen, the Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee
and the Office of the Auditor General
are directly subordinate to parliament.
Parliament was established by the Constitution of Norway
in 1814 and has since 1866 met in the Parliament of Norway Building
, designed by Emil Victor Langlet
. Parliamentarianism was established in 1884, and until 2009 practiced qualified unicameralism with two chambers: the Lagting and the Odelsting. Following the 2009 election
, seven parties are represented in parliament: the Labour Party
(64 representatives), the Progress Party
(41), the Conservative Party
(30), the Socialist Left Party
(11), the Centre Party
(11), the Christian Democratic Party (10) and the Liberal Party (2).
at Eidsvoll
in 1814, although its origins can be traced back to the allting
or common assemblies as early as the 9th century. The alltings were localised assemblies charged with discussing legal and political matters. These gradually were formalised so that the tings, or assemblies, grew into regionalised meetings and acquired backing and authority from the crown, even to the extent that on occasions they were instrumental in effecting change in the monarchy itself. As Norway became unified as a geopolitical entity in the 10th century, the lagting
s were established as superior regional assemblies. The archaic regional assemblies, the Frostating
, the Gulating
, the Eidsivating
and the Borgarting were amalgamated and the corpus of law was set down under the command of King Magnus Lagabøte during the mid-13th century. This jurisdiction remained significant until King Frederick III
proclaimed absolute monarchy in 1660; this was ratified by the passage of the King Act of 1665, and this became the constitution of the Union of Denmark and Norway
and remained so until 1814 and the foundation of the Storting.
The number of seats in the Storting has varied: from 1882 there were 114 seats, from 1903 117, from 1906 123, from 1918 126, from 1921 150, from 1973 155, from 1985 157, from 1989 165 and from 2005 169 seats.
. The original idea in 1814 was probably to have the Lagting act as an actual upper house, and the senior and more experienced members of the Storting were placed there. Later, however, the composition of the Lagting closely followed that of the Odelsting so that there was very little that differentiated them, and the passage of a bill in the Lagting was mostly a formality.
Bills were submitted by the Government to the Odelsting or by a member of the Odelsting—members of the Lagting were not permitted to propose legislation by themselves. A standing committee, with members from both the Odelsting and Lagting, would then consider the bill, and in some cases hearings were held. If passed by the Odelsting, the bill would be sent to the Lagting for review or revision. Most bills were passed unamended by the Lagting and then sent directly to the king for royal assent
. If the Lagting amended the Odelsting's decision, the bill would be sent back to the Odelsting. If the Odelsting approved the Lagting's amendments, the bill would be signed into law by the King. If it did not, then the bill would return to the Lagting. If the Lagting still proposed amendments, the bill would be submitted a plenary session of the Storting. In order to be passed, the bill should have then had the approval of a two-thirds majority of the plenary session. In all other cases a simple majority would suffice. Three days had to pass between each time a department voted on a bill. In all other cases, such as taxes and appropriation
s, the Storting would meet in plenary sessions.
A proposal to amend the constitution and abolish the system of Odelsting and Lagting was introduced in 2004 and was passed by the Storting on 20 February 2007 (159–1 with nine absentees). It took effect with the newly elected Storting in 2009.
The legislative procedure goes through five stages. First, a bill is introduced to parliament either by a member of government or, in the case of a private member's bill, by any individual representative. Parliament will refer the bill to the relevant standing committee, where it will be subjected to detailed consideration in the committee stage. The first reading takes place when parliament debates the recommendation from the committee, and then takes a vote. If the bill is dismissed, the procedure ends. The second reading takes place at least three days after the first reading, in which parliament debates the bill again. A new vote is taken, and if successful, the bill is submitted to the King in Council
for royal assent. If parliament comes to a different conclusion during the second reading, a third reading will be held at least three days later, repeating the debate and vote, and may adopt the amendments from the second reading or finally dismiss the bill.
. It then becomes Norwegian law from the date stated in the act or decided by the government.
Articles 77–79 of the Norwegian constitution specifically grant the King of Norway the right to withhold Royal Assent from any bill passed by the Storting, however, this right has never been exercised by any Norwegian monarch following the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905 (though it was exercised by Swedish monarchs prior to that time when they ruled Norway). Should the king ever choose to exercise this privilege, Article 79 provides a means by which his veto may be overridden: "If a Bill has been passed unaltered by two sessions of the Storting, constituted after two separate successive elections and separated from each other by at least two intervening sessions of the Storting, without a divergent Bill having been passed by any Storting in the period between the first and last adoption, and it is then submitted to the King with a petition that His Majesty shall not refuse his assent to a Bill which, after the most mature deliberation, the Storting considers to be beneficial, it shall become law even if the Royal Assent is not accorded before the Storting goes into recess."
is chaired by the President of the Parliament, in Norway called the Storting, consists of the president and the five vice presidents of the Storting.
s, of which eleven are related to specific political topics. The last is the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs
. The standing committees have a portfolio that covers that of one or more government ministers
.
(EEA) and the European Free Trade Area
(EFTA). The committee conducts discussions with the government regarding directives from the European Union
.
The Election Committee consists of 37 members, and is responsible for internal elections within the parliament, as well as delegating and negotiating party and representative allocation within the presidium, standing committees and other committees. The Preparatory Credentials Committee
has 16 members and is responsible for approving the election.
is the auditor of all branches of the public administration and is responsible for auditing, monitoring and advising all state economic activities. The Parliamentary Ombudsman is an ombudsman
responsible for public administration. It can investigate any public matter that has not been processed by an elected body, the courts or within the military. The Ombudsman for the Armed Forces
is an ombudsman responsible for the military. The Ombudsman for Civilian National Servicemen is responsible for people serving civilian national service. The Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee
is a seven-member body responsible for supervising public intelligence, surveillance and security services. Parliament also appoints the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee
that award the Nobel Peace Prize
.
, who assumed office in 1990. He also acts as secretary for the presidium.
proportional representation
in plural member constituencies. This means that representatives from different political parties
, are elected from each constituency. The constituencies are identical to the 19 counties of Norway
. The electorate does not vote for individuals but rather for party lists, with a ranked list of candidates nominated by the party. This means that the person on top of the list will get the seat unless the voter alters the ballot
. Parties may nominate candidates from outside their own constituency, and even Norwegian citizens currently living abroad.
The Sainte-Laguë method
is used for allocating parliamentary seats to parties. As a result, the percentage of representatives is roughly equal to the nationwide percentage of votes. Still, a party with a high number of votes in only one constituency can win a seat there even if the nationwide percentage is low. This has happened several times in Norwegian history. Conversely, if a party's initial representation in Stortinget is proportionally less than it share of votes, the party may seat more representatives through leveling seat
s , provided that the nationwide percentage is above the election threshold
, currently at 4%. In 2009, nineteen seats were allocated via the leveling system. Elections are held each four years, normally on the second Monday of September.
Unlike most other parliaments, the Storting always serves its full four-year term; the Constitution does not allow snap election
s. Substitutes for each deputy are elected at the same time as each election, so by-election
s are rare.
of the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party succeeded at keeping a majority of the seats. Although the Socialist Left Party lost four seats, three were regained by the Labour Party. This allowed Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet to continue. The greatest loss was suffered by the Liberal Party, that fell below the election threshold and lost eight of ten representatives. The Conservative Party gained seven seats and the Progress Party gained three, but this was not sufficient to hold a right-winged majority. Voter turnout was 76.4%.
and is built in yellow brick with details and basement in light gray granite. It is a combination of several styles, including inspirations from France and Italy. Parliament also meets in several other offices in the surrounding area, since the building is too small to hold the current staff of the legislature.
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, located in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. The unicameral parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
has 169 members, and is elected every four years based on party-list
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
in nineteen plural member constituencies. The assembly is led by a presidium of a president and five vice presidents; since 2009 Dag Terje Andersen
Dag Terje Andersen
Dag Terje Andersen is a Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party. In addition to professional politics he has been working at a steel mill and as a lumberjack, something that has given him a reputation for representing the average guy in politics.He was elected into the Norwegian...
has been president. The members are allocated to twelve standing committees, as well as four procedural committees. Almost all public agencies of Norway are subordinate to the government, but three ombudsmen, the Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee
Norwegian Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee
The Norwegian Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee , commonly known as the EOS Committee is the body responsible for supervising public intelligence, surveillance and security services. The body has seven members and is appointed by the Parliament of Norway...
and the Office of the Auditor General
Office of the Auditor General of Norway
The Office of the Auditor General of Norway is the state auditor of the Government of Norway and directly subordinate of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for auditing, monitoring and advising all state economic activities, including financial audits, performance audits and corporate...
are directly subordinate to parliament.
Parliament was established by the Constitution of Norway
Constitution of Norway
The Constitution of Norway was first adopted on May 16, 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll , then signed and dated May 17...
in 1814 and has since 1866 met in the Parliament of Norway Building
Parliament of Norway Building
The Parliament of Norway Building is the seat of the Parliament of Norway, located in central Oslo. The building is located at Karl Johans gate 22 and was taken into use on 5 March 1866...
, designed by Emil Victor Langlet
Emil Victor Langlet
Emil Victor Langlet was a Swedish architect.He was born in Borås. He first made his mark when designing the Norwegian Parliament Building, which was finally competed in 1866. He also drew the city hall and the hospital in Fredrikstad, several villas and Sagatun, the first folk high school in Norway...
. Parliamentarianism was established in 1884, and until 2009 practiced qualified unicameralism with two chambers: the Lagting and the Odelsting. Following the 2009 election
Norwegian parliamentary election, 2009
The 2009 parliamentary election was held in Norway on 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 held open...
, seven parties are represented in parliament: the Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
(64 representatives), the Progress Party
Progress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
(41), the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
(30), the Socialist Left Party
Socialist Left Party (Norway)
The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since...
(11), the Centre Party
Centre Party (Norway)
The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its...
(11), the Christian Democratic Party (10) and the Liberal Party (2).
History
The parliament in its present form was first constitutedNorway in 1814
1814 was a pivotal year in the history of Norway. It started with Norway in a union with the Kingdom of Denmark subject to a naval blockade being ceded to the king of Sweden. In May a constitutional convention declared Norway an independent kingdom. By the end of the year the Norwegian parliament...
at Eidsvoll
Eidsvoll
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet.-Name:...
in 1814, although its origins can be traced back to the allting
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
or common assemblies as early as the 9th century. The alltings were localised assemblies charged with discussing legal and political matters. These gradually were formalised so that the tings, or assemblies, grew into regionalised meetings and acquired backing and authority from the crown, even to the extent that on occasions they were instrumental in effecting change in the monarchy itself. As Norway became unified as a geopolitical entity in the 10th century, the lagting
Lagting
Lagting, literally "Law Ting", can refer to:*Lagting, the Parliament of Åland*Lagting, the former quasi-upper house of the parliament of Norway *Løgting, the parliament of the Faroe Islands...
s were established as superior regional assemblies. The archaic regional assemblies, the Frostating
Frostating
Frostating was the site of an early Norwegian court. Frostating had its seat at Tinghaugen in Frosta municipality in the county of Nord-Trøndelag.-Tinghaugen:...
, the Gulating
Gulating
Gulaþing is both the name of one of the first Norwegian legislative assemblies or Þing and one of the present day law courts of western Norway.-History:...
, the Eidsivating
Eidsivating
Eidsivating was the name of one of the original Norwegian popular assemblies or Tings. Historically it was the site of court and assembly for eastern parts of Norway....
and the Borgarting were amalgamated and the corpus of law was set down under the command of King Magnus Lagabøte during the mid-13th century. This jurisdiction remained significant until King Frederick III
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
proclaimed absolute monarchy in 1660; this was ratified by the passage of the King Act of 1665, and this became the constitution of the Union of Denmark and Norway
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway is the historiographical name for a former political entity consisting of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, including the originally Norwegian dependencies of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands...
and remained so until 1814 and the foundation of the Storting.
The number of seats in the Storting has varied: from 1882 there were 114 seats, from 1903 117, from 1906 123, from 1918 126, from 1921 150, from 1973 155, from 1985 157, from 1989 165 and from 2005 169 seats.
Qualified unicameralism (1814–2009)
Although the Storting has always been unicameral, until 2009 it would divide itself into two departments in legislative matters. After elections, the Storting would elect a quarter of its membership to form the Lagting a sort of "upper house", with the remaining three quarters forming the Odelsting or "lower house". The division was also used on very rare occasions in cases of impeachmentImpeachment (Norway)
In Norway, impeachment, also known as the Constitutional Court of the Realm , is a judicial process with the power to convict Members of Parliament, Members of the Council of State and Supreme Court Justices for criminal acts performed in line of duty. Impeachment is based on the Constitution of...
. The original idea in 1814 was probably to have the Lagting act as an actual upper house, and the senior and more experienced members of the Storting were placed there. Later, however, the composition of the Lagting closely followed that of the Odelsting so that there was very little that differentiated them, and the passage of a bill in the Lagting was mostly a formality.
Bills were submitted by the Government to the Odelsting or by a member of the Odelsting—members of the Lagting were not permitted to propose legislation by themselves. A standing committee, with members from both the Odelsting and Lagting, would then consider the bill, and in some cases hearings were held. If passed by the Odelsting, the bill would be sent to the Lagting for review or revision. Most bills were passed unamended by the Lagting and then sent directly to the king for royal assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
. If the Lagting amended the Odelsting's decision, the bill would be sent back to the Odelsting. If the Odelsting approved the Lagting's amendments, the bill would be signed into law by the King. If it did not, then the bill would return to the Lagting. If the Lagting still proposed amendments, the bill would be submitted a plenary session of the Storting. In order to be passed, the bill should have then had the approval of a two-thirds majority of the plenary session. In all other cases a simple majority would suffice. Three days had to pass between each time a department voted on a bill. In all other cases, such as taxes and appropriation
Appropriation (law)
In law and government, appropriation is the act of setting apart something for its application to a particular usage, to the exclusion of all other uses....
s, the Storting would meet in plenary sessions.
A proposal to amend the constitution and abolish the system of Odelsting and Lagting was introduced in 2004 and was passed by the Storting on 20 February 2007 (159–1 with nine absentees). It took effect with the newly elected Storting in 2009.
Legislative
Norwegian Council of State
The Norwegian Council of State consists, according to the constitution of the prime minister and at least seven other ministers, the majority of which must belong to the state church. The current number of ministers is 20.-External links:*...
for royal assent. If parliament comes to a different conclusion during the second reading, a third reading will be held at least three days later, repeating the debate and vote, and may adopt the amendments from the second reading or finally dismiss the bill.
Royal assent
Once the bill has reached the King in Council, the bill must be signed by the monarch and countersigned by the prime ministerPrime Minister of Norway
The Prime Minister of Norway is the political leader of Norway and the Head of His Majesty's Government. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Stortinget , to their political party, and ultimately the...
. It then becomes Norwegian law from the date stated in the act or decided by the government.
Articles 77–79 of the Norwegian constitution specifically grant the King of Norway the right to withhold Royal Assent from any bill passed by the Storting, however, this right has never been exercised by any Norwegian monarch following the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905 (though it was exercised by Swedish monarchs prior to that time when they ruled Norway). Should the king ever choose to exercise this privilege, Article 79 provides a means by which his veto may be overridden: "If a Bill has been passed unaltered by two sessions of the Storting, constituted after two separate successive elections and separated from each other by at least two intervening sessions of the Storting, without a divergent Bill having been passed by any Storting in the period between the first and last adoption, and it is then submitted to the King with a petition that His Majesty shall not refuse his assent to a Bill which, after the most mature deliberation, the Storting considers to be beneficial, it shall become law even if the Royal Assent is not accorded before the Storting goes into recess."
Presidium
The presidiumPresidium
The presidium or praesidium is the name for the heading organ of various legislative and organizational bodies.-Historical usage:...
is chaired by the President of the Parliament, in Norway called the Storting, consists of the president and the five vice presidents of the Storting.
| Position | Representative | Party |
|---|---|---|
| President | Labour | |
| 1st Vice President | Progress | |
| 2nd Vice President | Conservative | |
| 3rd Vice President | Labour | |
| 4th Vice President | Socialist Left | |
| 5th Vice President | Christian Democratic |
Standing committees
The members of parliament are allocated into twelve standing committeeStanding Committee
In the United States Congress, standing committees are permanent legislative panels established by the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate rules. . Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend measures for...
s, of which eleven are related to specific political topics. The last is the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs
Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs
The Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is holds a supervisory role in relation to the proceedings of the parliament and public sector. The committee has 11 members and is chaired by Anders Anundsen of the Centre.From...
. The standing committees have a portfolio that covers that of one or more government ministers
Norwegian Council of State
The Norwegian Council of State consists, according to the constitution of the prime minister and at least seven other ministers, the majority of which must belong to the state church. The current number of ministers is 20.-External links:*...
.
| Committee | Chair | Chair's party |
|---|---|---|
| Business and Industry Standing Committee on Business and Industry The Standing Committee on Business and Industry is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to business, industry, trade, shipping, state ownership policy, competition and price policy, agriculture, food policy, fisheries, whaling and aquaculture... |
Labour | |
| Education, Research and Church Affairs Standing Committee on Education, Research and Church Affairs The Standing Committee on Education and Church Affairs is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to education, research and church affairs. It corresponds to the Ministry of Education and Research and the church affairs section of the Ministry of... |
Labour | |
| Energy and the Environment Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment The Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to petroleum, energy, hydroelectricity, environmental protection and regional planning. It corresponds to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and... |
Centre | |
| Family and Cultural Affairs Standing Committee on Family and Cultural Affairs The Standing Committee on Family and Cultural Affairs is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to families, children and youth, gender equality, consumer affairs and cultural affairs. It corresponds to the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of... |
Labour | |
| Finance and Economic Affairs Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to economic policy, monetary and credit policy, the financial and credit system, financial administration, block grants to municipalities and... |
Labour | |
| Foreign Affairs and Defence Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating foreign affairs, military, development cooperation, Svalbard or in other polar regions and matters in general relating to agreements between Norway and... |
Conservative | |
| Health and Care Services Standing Committee on Health and Care Services The Standing Committee on Health and Care Services is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to health services, care and attendance services, public health, drug and alcohol policy, and pharmaceuticals. It corresponds to the Ministry of Health... |
Conservative | |
| Justice Standing Committee on Justice The Standing Committee on Justice is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to judicial system, the probation service, the police, persons performing civilian national service, other judicial issues, ex gratia payments, general legislation... |
Progress | |
| Labour and Social Affairs Standing Committee on Labour and Social Affairs The Standing Committee on Labour and Social Affairs is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for areas related to the labour market, the working environment, benefits, pensions and disability policy. It corresponds to the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion... |
Progress | |
| Local Government and Public Administration Standing Committee on Local Government and Public Administration The Standing Committee onLocal Government and Public Administration is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to local government, regional and rural policy, immigration policy, housing policy, building and construction, national minorities, Sami... |
Socialist Left | |
| Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs The Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is holds a supervisory role in relation to the proceedings of the parliament and public sector. The committee has 11 members and is chaired by Anders Anundsen of the Centre.From... |
Progress | |
| Transport and Communications Standing Committee on Transport and Communications The Standing Committee on Transport and Communications is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to transport, postal services, telecommunications, electronic communication and the responsibilities of the Norwegian National Coastal Administration... |
Christian Democratic |
Other committees
There are four other committees, that run parallel to the standing committees. The Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs consists of members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, the presidium and the parliamentary leaders. The committee discusses important issues related to foreign affairs, trade policy and national safety with the government. Discussions are confidential. The European Committee consists of the members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence and the parliamentary delegation to the European Economic AreaEuropean Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
(EEA) and the European Free Trade Area
European Free Trade Area
At present, there are three multi-lateral free trade areas in Europe, plus the European Union which has a single market, and one former-FTA in recent history...
(EFTA). The committee conducts discussions with the government regarding directives from the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
The Election Committee consists of 37 members, and is responsible for internal elections within the parliament, as well as delegating and negotiating party and representative allocation within the presidium, standing committees and other committees. The Preparatory Credentials Committee
Preparatory Credentials Committee
The Preparatory Credentials Committee is a special committee of the Parliament of Norway that is responsible for approving the election of parliament. The 16 members of the committee are appointed to surveillance the election. After the issue has been passed by the committee, it taken to vote for...
has 16 members and is responsible for approving the election.
Appointed agencies
Five public agencies are appointed by parliament rather than by the government. The Office of the Auditor GeneralOffice of the Auditor General of Norway
The Office of the Auditor General of Norway is the state auditor of the Government of Norway and directly subordinate of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for auditing, monitoring and advising all state economic activities, including financial audits, performance audits and corporate...
is the auditor of all branches of the public administration and is responsible for auditing, monitoring and advising all state economic activities. The Parliamentary Ombudsman is an ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
responsible for public administration. It can investigate any public matter that has not been processed by an elected body, the courts or within the military. The Ombudsman for the Armed Forces
Norwegian Parliamentary Ombudsman for the Armed Forces
The Norwegian Parliamentary Ombudsman for the Armed Forces is an etat subordinate to the Norwegian Parliament.The Parliamentary Ombudsman for the Armed Forces was established in 1952, as the world’s first parliamentary military ombudsman...
is an ombudsman responsible for the military. The Ombudsman for Civilian National Servicemen is responsible for people serving civilian national service. The Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee
Norwegian Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee
The Norwegian Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee , commonly known as the EOS Committee is the body responsible for supervising public intelligence, surveillance and security services. The body has seven members and is appointed by the Parliament of Norway...
is a seven-member body responsible for supervising public intelligence, surveillance and security services. Parliament also appoints the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee
Norwegian Nobel Committee
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awards the Nobel Peace Prize each year.Its five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament and roughly represent the political makeup of that body.-History:...
that award the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
.
Administration
Parliament has an administration of about 400 people, led by Secretary-General Hans BratteståHans Brattestå
Hans Brattestå is a Norwegian civil servant and jurist.Since 1990 he has been director of the Parliament of Norway. He worked for the foreign service from 1978 to 1984, and since then has been staff at parliament. He is also a board member of Lovdata.-References:...
, who assumed office in 1990. He also acts as secretary for the presidium.
Party groups
Each party represented in parliament has a party group. It is led by a group board and chaired by a parliamentary leader. It is customary for the party leader to also act as parliamentary leader, but since party leaders of government parties normally sit as ministers, governing parties elect other representatives as their parliamentary leaders.| Party | Seats | Parliamentary leader |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway.... |
64 | |
| Progress Party Progress Party (Norway) The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist... |
41 | (also party leader) |
| Conservative Party Conservative Party of Norway The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s... |
30 | (also party leader) |
| Socialist Left Party Socialist Left Party (Norway) The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since... |
11 | |
| Centre Party Centre Party (Norway) The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its... |
11 | |
| Christian Democratic Party | 10 | |
| Liberal Party | 2 | (also party leader) |
Elections
Members to Stortinget are elected based on party-listParty-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
in plural member constituencies. This means that representatives from different political parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
, are elected from each constituency. The constituencies are identical to the 19 counties of Norway
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
. The electorate does not vote for individuals but rather for party lists, with a ranked list of candidates nominated by the party. This means that the person on top of the list will get the seat unless the voter alters the ballot
Open list
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected...
. Parties may nominate candidates from outside their own constituency, and even Norwegian citizens currently living abroad.
The Sainte-Laguë method
Sainte-Laguë method
The Sainte-Laguë method is one way of allocating seats approximately proportional to the number of votes of a party to a party list used in many voting systems. It is named after the French mathematician André Sainte-Laguë. The Sainte-Laguë method is quite similar to the D'Hondt method, but uses...
is used for allocating parliamentary seats to parties. As a result, the percentage of representatives is roughly equal to the nationwide percentage of votes. Still, a party with a high number of votes in only one constituency can win a seat there even if the nationwide percentage is low. This has happened several times in Norwegian history. Conversely, if a party's initial representation in Stortinget is proportionally less than it share of votes, the party may seat more representatives through leveling seat
Leveling seat
Leveling seats are a mechanism employed in Norwegian elections to the national legislature, the Storting, and in Swedish elections to national and regional assemblies, to ensure proportional representation both by county and political party...
s , provided that the nationwide percentage is above the election threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
, currently at 4%. In 2009, nineteen seats were allocated via the leveling system. Elections are held each four years, normally on the second Monday of September.
Unlike most other parliaments, the Storting always serves its full four-year term; the Constitution does not allow snap election
Snap election
A snap election is an election called earlier than expected. Generally it refers to an election in a parliamentary system called when not required , usually to capitalize on a unique electoral opportunity or to decide a pressing issue...
s. Substitutes for each deputy are elected at the same time as each election, so by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
s are rare.
2009 election result
Following the elections on 14 September 2009, the Red–Green CoalitionRed-Green Coalition (Norway)
The Red-Green Coalition is a centre-left coalition of Norwegian parties, formed by the Labour , the Socialist Left Party , and the Centre Party. Unlike many other Red-Green coalitions, the "Green" here is the colour of a centrist party rather than an actual Green party...
of the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party succeeded at keeping a majority of the seats. Although the Socialist Left Party lost four seats, three were regained by the Labour Party. This allowed Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet to continue. The greatest loss was suffered by the Liberal Party, that fell below the election threshold and lost eight of ten representatives. The Conservative Party gained seven seats and the Progress Party gained three, but this was not sufficient to hold a right-winged majority. Voter turnout was 76.4%.
Building
Since 5 March 1866, parliament has met in the Parliament of Norway Building at Karl Johans gate 22 in Oslo. The building was designed by the Swedish architect Emil Victor LangletEmil Victor Langlet
Emil Victor Langlet was a Swedish architect.He was born in Borås. He first made his mark when designing the Norwegian Parliament Building, which was finally competed in 1866. He also drew the city hall and the hospital in Fredrikstad, several villas and Sagatun, the first folk high school in Norway...
and is built in yellow brick with details and basement in light gray granite. It is a combination of several styles, including inspirations from France and Italy. Parliament also meets in several other offices in the surrounding area, since the building is too small to hold the current staff of the legislature.