How Norway is governed: the king, the Storting, the government, elections, municipalities, courts, rights and the Sami Parliament.
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Form of government: democracy and monarchy
Norway is a democracy. The word means rule by the people. This means that the people decide how the country is governed, usually by choosing representatives in free elections.
Norway is also a constitutional monarchy. This means the country has a king or queen as head of state, but the monarch's power is limited by the Constitution. Norway is not a republic, and we have no president. The King is called Harald V and has been king since 1991. Crown Prince Haakon is next in line, followed by Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
In practice the King has no political power. He has a representative and unifying role. He opens the Storting every year in October, he meets ministers in the Council of State at the palace, and he signs the laws. He does not make political decisions himself. The government and the Storting do that.
Norway is also a state governed by the rule of law. This means that power is bound by law. No one can be punished without a law and a verdict, and everyone is to be treated equally before the law, including politicians.
The Constitution is the country's most important law. It was adopted in 1814 and has been amended many times. All other laws must follow it.
The full module and all questions are in the app.
Key points
Form of government: democracy and monarchy
Democracy means rule by the people
Norway is a constitutional monarchy: the King is head of state, but his power is limited by the Constitution
Norway has no president
Harald V has been king since 1991
Rule of law: power is bound by law, and no one can be punished without a law and a verdict
The Storting
The Storting has 169 representatives, elected every four years
The Storting has the legislative power, adopts the state budget and oversees the government
The President of the Storting leads the Storting
The Storting cannot be dissolved mid-term, so there are no snap elections
The Storting elects the Nobel Committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize
The government and parliamentarism
The government has the executive power and is led by the Prime Minister
Parliamentarism: a government cannot stay if a majority in the Storting has no confidence in it
Parliamentarism was introduced in 1884
A minority government does not have a majority on its own in the Storting
The government proposes the state budget, and the Storting adopts it
Elections and the right to vote
Storting elections every four years in September; local elections also every four years
Voting right in Storting elections: Norwegian citizen who turns 18 during the election year
In local elections foreign citizens can vote after three years of continuous residence (2026)
The electoral threshold is 4 percent, and the vote is secret
Voting is a right, not a duty
Political parties and influence
A political party is an organisation for people with shared views that stands in elections
Politics is often placed on a line from left to right
Anyone can join a party, and you can have influence in many ways without voting
A consultation means everyone can give an opinion on a proposed law
Municipalities have councils for older people, young people and people with disabilities
State, county and municipality
Three levels: state, county authority and municipality
The state is responsible for hospitals, police, defence and NAV
The county authority is responsible for upper secondary school, county roads and public transport
The municipality is responsible for kindergartens, primary school, elderly care, and water and sewage
The mayor leads the municipality politically; the chief executive runs the administration
Norway has 15 counties
The courts and the rule of law
The courts have the judicial power and are independent
Three levels: district court, court of appeal and Supreme Court
Separation of powers: the Storting makes laws, the government runs the country, the courts judge
You are innocent until proven otherwise
The Parliamentary Ombudsman handles complaints about public administration
Basic rights and freedoms
Freedom of expression: you can say and write what you want, within the limits of the law
Freedom of assembly and association gives the right to demonstrate peacefully and form associations
Freedom of religion means you can believe, not believe or change religion
Everyone is equal before the law, and discrimination is forbidden
The Human Rights Act of 1999 gives human rights the force of law in Norway
Norway has five national minorities
The Sami and the Sami Parliament
The Sami are an indigenous people, and the state must protect their language and culture
The Sami Parliament has 39 representatives and is based in Karasjok
It is elected every four years, in the same year as the Storting election
You must be in the Sami Parliament's electoral roll to vote
The Sami Parliament cannot pass national laws, but advises and manages Sami funds
The Sami national day is 6 February
Norway in the world
Norway helped found the UN in 1945 and NATO in 1949
Norway is not a member of the EU but is part of the EEA
The people voted no to the EU in 1972 and 1994
Both women and men are subject to conscription (since 2015)
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo on 10 December
The Governor (sysselmester) is the government's highest representative on Svalbard