How Norway governs itself

The Storting is Norway's parliament, and the best place to start understanding how the country governs itself. Its 169 members are elected every four years: 150 win constituency seats and 19 are levelling seats, which even out the result between the parties.

Norway is a parliamentary democracy. The government proposes laws and budgets, but the Storting decides: every law and every budget line needs a parliamentary majority behind it.

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Watch it work

All sittings of the Storting are streamed live on the parliament's own site, and most public hearings are streamed too. Committee work, question time, and budget debates are open to anyone with an internet connection.

A parliament that streams its sittings, councils elected every four years, and one Arctic archipelago run directly by the government.

The local level

Government in Norway is elected at every level. Voters choose municipal and county councils every four years, in local elections held separately from parliamentary elections.

In Oslo, the City Council decides the city budget and overall policy and supervises the city government.

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The Sami Parliament

Norway also has an elected Sami Parliament. Its plenary meetings are usually held four times a year in Karasjok, and they are open to the public.

Svalbard, the exception

Then there is Svalbard. The archipelago is part of the Kingdom of Norway but belongs to no county: it is an unincorporated area administered directly by the Norwegian government through an appointed governor. The Governor of Svalbard (Sysselmesteren) serves as both chief of police and county governor.

That is the whole structure: a parliament that streams its sittings, elected councils at the municipal and county level, a Sami Parliament with open plenaries, and one Arctic archipelago run directly from Oslo. To follow the civic calendar, see our events page.

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