Executive power is exercised by the Council of State, the cabinet, led by the prime minister of Norway. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the legislature, the Storting, elected within a multi-party system. The judiciary is independent of the executive branch and the legislature.
The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Norway a "full democracy" in 2022. According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Norway was 2023 the second most electoral democratic country in the world. Reporters Without Borders ranked Norway 1st in the world in the 2019 Press Freedom Index. Freedom House's 2020 Freedom in the World report classified Norway as "free", scoring maximum points in the categories of "political rights" and "civil liberties".
Norway is a constitutional monarchy, where the king has a mainly symbolic power. The royal house is a branch of the princely family of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, and the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in Germany. The functions of the king, Harald V, are mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity.
Although the constitution of 1814 grants important executive powers to the king, these are always exercised by the Council of State in the name of the king (King's Council, or cabinet)
Norway conducts its national-level legislative elections through the Storting, the parliament with 169 members serving four-year terms. The election system employs proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies and prohibits the dissolution of the parliament during this term.
Operating within a multi-party system, Norway sees the presence of numerous parties. No single party typically secures power independently, necessitating collaboration to form coalition governments or minority cabinets.
Election Procedure:
The voter selects the ballot corresponding to the preferred party/list.
Options to modify lists are available for voters.
The folded ballot ensures confidentiality.
After verification, the voter's stamped ballot is cast in the ballot box, limited to one per election.
