Political
system
Norway
is a unified state in which governmental power is divided
between the judiciary, executive and legislative branches,
each of which is mutually independent. The executive branch
is made up of the King and members of the Cabinet.
Legislative power is vested in the national parliament
(Stortinget), which is composed of 165 members who are
democratically elected on a geographical basis. Although
the parliament is unicameral, it divides into two chambers
(the Lagting and Odelsting) for the purpose of passing
legislation. Both chambers must approve a bill before
it can be passed.
The
King sitting in council with the Cabinet must also approve
the bill, although this is a mere formality. In theory,
the judiciary can exercise some influence upon the legislative
process since it has an unwritten power to set aside any
legislation it finds to be unconstitutional. However,
this power is rarely exercised.
For
administrative and political purposes, the country is
divided into 19 counties (fylker) and approximately 450
municipalities (kommuner). While the various counties
and municipalities are responsible for running a large
number of vital welfare services, responsibility for organizing
and financing the criminal justice system lies primarily
with central government agencies, most notably the Ministry
of Justice and Police.
The
Norwegian Parliament's official web site
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