Legal System of Norway
Norway is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in northern europe, bordering the north sea and the north atlantic ocean, west of sweden. The country achieved independence on 7 june 1905 (union with sweden declared dissolved); 26 october 1905 (sweden agreed to the repeal of the union); notable earlier dates: ca. 872 (traditional unification of norwegian kingdoms by harald fairhair); 1397 (kalmar union of denmark, norway, and sweden); 1524 (denmark-norway); 17 may 1814 (norwegian constitution adopted); 4 november 1814 (sweden-norway union confirmed). The capital is Oslo.
Government Overview
Government Type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy Chief of State: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991) Head of Government: Prime Minister Jonas Gahr STORE (since 14 October 2021) Cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch, approved by Parliament Administrative Divisions: 12 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Agder, Innlandet, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Oslo, Rogaland, Romsdal, Troms og Finnmark, Trondelag, Vestfold og Telemark, Vestland, Viken (2024) National Holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May (1814) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legal System
The legal system of Norway is described as mixed system of civil, common, and customary law; Supreme Court can advise on legislative acts International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Constitutional Framework
The constitution has the following history: drafted spring 1814, adopted 16 May 1814, signed by Constituent Assembly 17 May 1814 Amendment Process: proposals submitted by members of Parliament or by the government within the first three years of Parliament’s four-year term; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of a two-thirds quorum in the next elected Parliament
Judicial Branch
Highest Court(s): Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (consists of the chief justice and 18 associate justices) Judge Selection: justices appointed by the monarch (King in Council) on the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Board; justices can serve until mandatory retirement at age 70 Subordinate Courts: Courts of Appeal or Lagmennsrett; regional and district courts; Conciliation Boards; ordinary and special courts
Legislative Branch
The legislative structure consists of unicameral
Citizenship and Suffrage
Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Norway Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Historical Background
Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off after King Olav TRYGGVASON adopted Christianity in 994; conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution.
This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Norway based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.