6.2.4 Norway: Government
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This article is from the Nordic countries FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous contributions by others.
6.2.4 Norway: Government
Norway is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, with a constitution
that was drafted in 1814. It gives broad powers to the king, but the
council of ministers, headed by the prime minister, generally
exercises this power as king in council. The 165 members of the
Storting, or parliament, are elected for a fixed term of 4 years by
all Norwegians 18 years of age or older.
The major political parties are the Labor party (Arbeiderpartiet), the
largest single party, the Conservative party (Høyre), and the Center
Party (Senterpartiet). The Labor party, which was responsible for
creating the social-democratic welfare state, headed the government
for 37 years during the period 1935-81. A debate about high taxes and
rising inflation caused the Labor party to lose ground to center-right
groups. The Conservatives under Kare Willoch were in office from 1981
to 1986, when they were ousted by Labor, led by Gro Harlem Brundtland,
Norway's first woman premier. Brundtland has since resigned as the
party leader (the office is currently held by Torbjørn Jagland), but
still represents the party as the prime minister. In the current
election period (1993-1997), Senterpartiet (Center Party) is bigger
than Høyre.
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