Dictionary

amendments to a Bill

written remarks made by the Storting during the second reading of a Bill.

Ap

common abbreviation for the Norwegian Labour Party (Det norske arbeiderparti, DNA or Arbeiderpartiet), founded in 1887.

appointment of a government

Article 12 of the Constitution states that the King “chooses a Council from among Norwegian citizens who are entitled to vote”, but the King does not have the authority to decide the composition of a government. His role is to appoint a government that the Storting will accept. In advance of this decision, there are usually discussions between the political parties in the Storting. When the decision has been made, the King is advised by the outgoing prime minister or the President of the Storting on who should be asked to lead the next Government or what action he should take. After that, the prime ministerial candidate puts forward a list of those who should be appointed to the different ministerial positions. Finally, for the appointment to be effective the King must sign the Royal Resolution that officially constitutes the Government.

appropriation rules

rules that govern how the Fiscal Budget is to be written and dealt with.

assembly of the Storting

the Storting has its first sitting on the first working day in October. In election years, the constitution of the Storting takes place about one week later. When the Storting has elected its new President and five Vice Presidents, the President declares the Storting lawfully constituted.

ballot paper

on election day, the parties’ electoral lists are used as ballot papers. Ballot papers are stamped by an election official before being put in the ballot box.

budget agreement

during negotiations on the Fiscal Budget, the opposition parties may enter into agreements in order to ensure they have a majority for the issues they consider important.

budget debate

the debate on the Government’s economic policy. The debate is based on the budget speech, which is made by the Minister of Finance on the Government’s draft Fiscal Budget. It is one of the Storting’s most important debates.

Budget Recommendation (historical term)

the recommendations that were written by the committees when the Fiscal Budget was dealt with during the autumn. As of 1 October 2009, the term Budget Recommendation has been replaced by the term Recommendation to the Storting.

budget speech

the statement made by the Minister of Finance in relation to the presentation of the Government’s draft Fiscal Budget.

cabinet minister

member of the Government. Cabinet ministers are summoned to the Storting when matters from their own ministry are to be dealt with in the Chamber.

casting vote

in the event of a tie, the President uses his or her casting vote to settle the issue. Generally the President takes part in the vote under the same rules as all other Members.

central government administration

the central administration of the state; the ministries.

coalition government

a government that consists of members of two or more political parties.

compensation seat

seats in the Storting that are assigned after an election to the parties that obtained a lower number of seats in relation to the overall number of votes they received. There are 19 compensation seats, one for each county.

constitution

the set of rules about how a country is governed and the separation of power. Among other things, it also encompasses rules on the franchise (the right to vote) and human rights. The Norwegian Constitution was signed at Eidsvoll on 17 May 1814. The written Constitution is an important part of our constitution, as are the legal rules derived from long political practice (customary constitutional law).

constitution of the Storting

the Storting assembles (has its first sitting) on the first weekday in October. When the Storting has elected its Presidents and Secretaries, the President declares the Storting lawfully constituted.

consulatation

meeting for advice or guidance.

consultation letter

a letter to all affected parties in which the Ministry asks for views and comments on a matter that is under consideration.

Council of State

meeting of the Government during which official decisions are made.

countersignature

In constitutional terms, the countersignature is the signature made by a cabinet minister in addition to the Head of State’s signature on such documents as Acts, regulations and appointments. The countersignature is usually a prerequisite for the validity of the document in question.

Court of Impeachment

the court that makes judgements in cases brought against members of the Government, Storting or Supreme Court for serious misbehaviour in office. The Court of Impeachment comprises 11 members: 5 Supreme Court judges and 6 lay members appointed by the Storting. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court acts as President of the Court of Impeachment, the Storting in plenary session is the prosecuting authority, while the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs is responsible for preparing the case. The Storting’s Accountability Select Committee makes the necessary enquiries to determine whether or not there are grounds for asserting constitutional responsibility against an individual. The Court of Impeachment is referred to in Articles 86-87 of the Constitution.

custom

unwritten rules that are regarded as legally binding because they have been observed over time. Parliamentarianism was customary constitutional law until it became formally written into the Constitution on 20th February 2007.