➦ Norwegian version
The Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway
Date LOV-1814-05-17
Ministry Ministry of Justice and Public Security
Entry into force
Last consolidated FOR-2016-06-10-615 from 24.05.2016
Not yet incorporated
Last update 09.10.2017
Abbreviated title The Constitution
Kapitteloversikt:
A. Form of Government
B. The executive power, the King And the Royal Family and Religion
C. Rights of Citizens and The Legislative Power
D. The Judicial Power
E. Human Rights
F. General Provisions
This is an unofficial translation of the Norwegian version of the Constitution and is
provided for information purposes only. Legal authenticity remains with the Norwegian
version as published in Norsk Lovtidend. In the event of any inconsistency, the
Norwegian version shall prevail.
This translation is provided by the Storting.
The Constitution, as laid down on 17 May 1814 by the Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll,
subsequently amended,
most recently by Resolution of 24 May 2016.
A. Form of Government
Article 1
The Kingdom of Norway is a free, independent, indivisible and inalienable realm. Its
form of government is a limited and hereditary monarchy.
Article 2
Our values will remain our Christian and humanist heritage. This Constitution shall
ensure democracy, a state based on the rule of law and human rights.
B. The executive power, the King And the Royal
Family and Religion
Article 3 �
The executive power is vested in the King, or in the Queen if she has succeeded to the
Crown pursuant to the provisions of Article 6 or Article 7 or Article 48 of this Constitution.
When the executive power is thus vested in the Queen, she has all the rights and obligations
which pursuant to this Constitution and the law of the land are possessed by the King.
Article 4
The King shall at all times profess the Evangelical-Lutheran religion.
Article 5
The King's person is sacred; he cannot be censured or accused. The responsibility rests
with his Council.
Article 6
The order of succession is lineal, so that only a child born in lawful wedlock of the
Queen or King, or of one who is herself or himself entitled to the succession, may succeed,
and so that the nearest line shall take precedence over the more remote and the elder in the
line over the younger.
An unborn child shall also be included among those entitled to the succession and shall
immediately take her or his proper place in the line of succession as soon as she or he is born
into the world.
The right of succession shall not, however, belong to any person who is not born in the
direct line of descent from the last reigning Queen or King or a sister or brother thereof, or is
not herself or himself a sister or brother thereof.
When a Princess or Prince entitled to succeed to the Crown of Norway is born, her or his
name and time of birth shall be notified to the first Storting in session and be entered in the
record of its proceedings.
For those born before the year 1971, Article 6 of the Constitution as it was passed on 18
November 1905 shall, however, apply. For those born before the year 1990 it shall
nevertheless be the case that a male shall take precedence over a female.
Article 7
If there is no Princess or Prince entitled to the succession, the King may propose his
successor to the Storting, which has the right to make the choice if the King's proposal is not
accepted.
Article 8 �
The age of majority of the King shall be laid down by law. �
As soon as the King has attained the age prescribed by law, he shall make a public
declaration that he is of age.
Article 9 �
As soon as the King, being of age, accedes to the Government, he shall take the following
oath before the Storting: «I promise and swear that I will govern the Kingdom of Norway in
accordance with its Constitution and Laws; so help me God, the Almighty and Omniscient.»
If the Storting is not in session at the time, the oath shall be made in writing in the
Council of State and be repeated solemnly by the King at the first subsequent Storting.
Article 10
(Repealed by Resolution of 14 March 1908.)
Article 11
The King shall reside in the realm and may not, without the consent of the Storting,
remain outside the realm for more than six months at a time, otherwise he shall have
forfeited, for his person, the right to the Crown.
The King may not accept any other crown or government without the consent of the
Storting, for which two thirds of the votes are required.
Article 12
The King himself chooses a Council from among Norwegian citizens who are entitled to
vote. This Council shall consist of a Prime Minister and at least seven other Members.
The King apportions the business among the Members of the Council of State as he
deems appropriate. Under extraordinary circumstances, besides the ordinary Members of the
Council of State, the King may summon other Norwegian citizens, although no Members of
the Storting, to take a seat in the Council of State.
Husband and wife, parent and child or two siblings may never sit at the same time in the
Council of State.
Article 13
During his travels within the realm, the King may delegate the administration of the
realm to the Council of State. The Council of State shall conduct the Government in the
King's name and on his behalf. It shall scrupulously observe the provisions of this
Constitution, as well as such particular directives in conformity therewith as the King may
instruct.
The matters of business shall be decided by voting, where in the event of the votes being
equal, the Prime Minister, or in his absence the highest-ranking Member of the Council of
State who is present, shall have two votes.
The Council of State shall make a report to the King on matters of business which it thus
decides.
Article 14
The King may appoint state secretaries to assist Members of the Council of State with
their duties outside the Council of State. Each state secretary shall act on behalf of the
Member of the Council of State to whom he is attached to the extent determined by that
Member.
Article 15
Any person who holds a seat in the Council of State has the duty to submit his application
to resign once the Storting has passed a vote of no confidence against that Member of the
Council of State or against the Council of State as a whole.
The King is bound to grant such an application to resign.
Once the Storting has passed a vote of no confidence, only such business may be
conducted as is required for the proper discharge of duties.
Article 16
All inhabitants of the realm shall have the right to free exercise of their religion. The
Church of Norway, an Evangelical-Lutheran church, will remain the Established Church of
Norway and will as such be supported by the State. Detailed provisions as to its system will
be laid down by law. All religious and belief communities should be supported on equal
terms.
Article 17
The King may issue and repeal ordinances relating to commerce, customs, all livelihoods
and the public administration and regulation, although these must not conflict with the
Constitution or with the laws passed by the Storting (as hereinafter prescribed in Articles 76,
77, 78 and 79). They shall apply on a provisional basis until the next Storting.
Article 18
As a general rule the King shall provide for the collection of the taxes and duties imposed
by the Storting.
Article 19
The King shall ensure that the properties and regalia of the state are utilised and
administered in the manner determined by the Storting and in the best interests of the general
public.
Article 20
The King shall have the right in the Council of State to pardon criminals after sentence
has been passed. The criminal shall have the choice of accepting the King's pardon or
submitting to the penalty imposed.
In proceedings which the Storting causes to be brought before the Court of Impeachment,
no pardon other than deliverance from the death penalty may be granted, unless the Storting
has given its consent thereto.
Article 21
The King shall choose and appoint, after consultation with his Council of State, all senior
civil and military officials. Before the appointment is made, such officials shall swear or, if
by law exempted from taking the oath, solemnly declare obedience and allegiance to the
Constitution and the King, although senior officials who are not Norwegian nationals may by
law be exempted from this duty. The Royal Princes and Princesses must not hold senior civil
offices.
Article 22 �
The Prime Minister and the other Members of the Council of State, together with the
state secretaries, may be dismissed by the King without any prior court judgment, after he
has heard the opinion of the Council of State on the subject. The same applies to senior
officials employed in government ministries or in the diplomatic or consular service, the
highest-ranking civil officials, commanders of regiments and other military formations,
commandants of fortresses and officers commanding warships. Whether pensions should be
granted to senior officials thus dismissed shall be determined by the next Storting. In the
interval they shall receive two thirds of their previous pay.
Other senior officials may only be suspended by the King, and must then without delay
be charged before the Courts, but they may not, except by court judgment, be dismissed nor,
against their will, transferred.
All senior officials may, without a prior court judgment, be discharged from office upon
attaining the statutory age limit. It may be determined by law that certain senior officials who
are not judges may be appointed for a term of years.
Article 23
The King may bestow orders upon whomever he pleases as a reward for distinguished
services, and such orders must be publicly announced, but no rank or title other than that
attached to any office. The order exempts no one from the common duties and burdens of
citizens, nor does it carry with it any preferential admission to senior official posts in the
state. Senior officials honourably discharged from office retain the title and rank of their
office. This does not apply, however, to Members of the Council of State or the state
secretaries.
No personal, or mixed, hereditary privileges may henceforth be granted to anyone.
Article 24
The King chooses and dismisses, at his own discretion, his royal household and court
officials.
Article 25
The King is commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the realm. These forces may not
be increased or reduced without the consent of the Storting. They may not be transferred to
the service of foreign powers, nor may the military forces of any foreign power, except
auxiliary forces assisting against hostile attack, be brought into the realm without the consent
of the Storting.
The territorial army and the other troops which cannot be classed as troops of the line
must never, without the consent of the Storting, be employed outside the borders of the
realm.
Article 26
The King has the right to call up troops, to engage in war in defence of the realm and to
make peace, to conclude and denounce treaties, to send and to receive diplomatic envoys.
Treaties on matters of special importance, and, in all cases, treaties whose
implementation, according to the Constitution, necessitates a new law or a decision by the
Storting, are not binding until the Storting has given its consent thereto.
Article 27
All Members of the Council of State shall, unless lawfully absent, attend the Council of
State. No decision may be adopted there unless more than half the number of Members are
present.
Article 28
Recommendations regarding appointments to senior official posts and other matters of
importance shall be presented in the Council of State by the Member within whose
competence they fall, and such matters shall be dealt with by them in accordance with the
decision adopted in the Council of State. However, matters strictly relating to military
command may, to the extent determined by the King, be excepted from proceedings in the
Council of State.
Article 29
If a Member of the Council of State is prevented due to lawful absence from attending
the meeting and from presenting the matters that fall within his competence, these shall be
presented by another Member temporarily appointed by the King for the purpose.
If so many Members are prevented due to lawful absence from attending that not more
than half of the stipulated number are present, the requisite number of other men or women
shall be temporarily appointed to take a seat in the Council of State.
Article 30
All the proceedings of the Council of State shall be entered in its records. Diplomatic
matters which the Council of State decides to keep secret shall be entered in a special record.
The same applies to military command matters which the Council of State decides to keep
secret.
Everyone who has a seat in the Council of State has the duty frankly to express their
opinion, to which the King is bound to listen. But it rests with the King to make a decision
according to his own judgment.
If any Member of the Council of State is of the opinion that the King's decision conflicts
with the form of government or the laws of the realm, it is his duty to make strong
remonstrances against it, as well as to enter his opinion in the records. A Member who has
not thus protested is deemed to have been in agreement with the King, and shall be
answerable in such manner as may be subsequently decided, and may be impeached by the
Storting before the Court of Impeachment.
Article 31
All decisions drawn up by the King shall, in order to become valid, be countersigned.
Decisions relating to military command are countersigned by the person who has presented
the matter, while other decisions are countersigned by the Prime Minister or, if he has not
been present, by the highest-ranking Member of the Council of State present.
Article 32
The decisions adopted by the Government during the King's absence shall be drawn up in
the King's name and be signed by the Council of State.
Article 33
Norges Bank is the central bank of Norway.
Article 34 �
The King shall make provisions concerning titles for those who are entitled to succeed to
the Crown.
Article 35 �
As soon as the heir to the throne has completed her or his eighteenth year, she or he is
entitled to take a seat in the Council of State, although without a vote or responsibility.
Article 36
A Prince or Princess entitled to succeed to the Crown of Norway may not marry without
the consent of the King. Nor may he or she accept any other crown or government without
the consent of the King and the Storting. For the consent of the Storting two thirds of the
votes are required.
If he or she acts contrary to this rule, they and their descendants forfeit their right to the
throne of Norway.
Article 37
The Royal Princes and Princesses shall not personally be answerable to anyone other than
the King, or whomever he decrees to sit in judgment on them.
Article 38
(Repealed by Resolution of 18 November 1905.)
Article 39
If the King dies and the heir to the throne is still under age, the Council of State shall
immediately summon the Storting.
Article 40
Until the Storting has assembled and made provisions for the Government during the
minority of the King, the Council of State shall be responsible for the administration of the
realm in accordance with the Constitution.
Article 41
If the King is absent from the realm unless commanding in the field, or if he is so ill that
he cannot attend to the Government, the person next entitled to succeed to the throne shall,
provided that he has attained the age stipulated for the King's majority, conduct the
Government as the temporary executor of the Royal Powers. If this is not the case, the
Council of State will conduct the administration of the realm.
Article 42 �
(Repealed by Resolution of 18 November 1905.) �
Article 43 �
The election of trustees to conduct the Government on behalf of the King during his � minority shall be undertaken by the Storting. �
Article 44
The Princess or Prince who, in the cases mentioned in Article 41, conducts the
Government shall make the following oath in writing before the Storting: «I promise and
swear that I will conduct the Government in accordance with the Constitution and the Laws,
so help me God, the Almighty and Omniscient.»
If the Storting is not in session at the time, the oath shall be made in the Council of State
and later be presented to the next Storting.
The Princess or Prince who has once made the oath shall not repeat it later.
Article 45
As soon as their conduct of the Government ceases, they shall submit to the King and the
Storting an account of the same.
Article 46
If the persons concerned fail to summon the Storting immediately in accordance with � Article 39, it becomes the unconditional duty of the Supreme Court, as soon as four weeks � have elapsed, to arrange for the Storting to be summoned. �
Article 47
The supervision of the education of the King during his minority should, if both his
parents are dead and neither of them has left any written directions thereon, be determined by
the Storting.
Article 48
If the royal line has died out, and no successor to the throne has been designated, then a
new Queen or King shall be chosen by the Storting. Meanwhile, the executive power shall be
exercised in accordance with Article 40.
C. Rights of Citizens and The Legislative Power
Article 49
The people exercise the legislative power through the Storting. The Members of the � Storting are elected through free and secret elections. �
The inhabitants have the right to govern local affairs through local democratically elected
bodies. Specific provisions regarding the local democratically elected level shall be laid
down by law.
Article 50
Those entitled to vote in elections to the Storting are Norwegian citizens, men and � women, who, at the latest in the year when the election is held, have completed their � eighteenth year. �
The extent, however, to which Norwegian citizens who on election day are resident
outside the realm but who satisfy the aforementioned conditions are entitled to vote shall be
determined by law.
Rules may be laid down by law concerning the right to vote of persons otherwise entitled
to vote who on election day are manifestly suffering from a seriously weakened mental state
or a reduced level of consciousness.
Article 51
The rules on the keeping of the electoral register and on the registration in the register of
persons entitled to vote shall be determined by law.
Article 52
(Repealed by Resolution of 26 October 1954.)
Article 53
The right to vote is lost by persons:
a) sentenced for criminal offences, in accordance with the relevant provisions laid down
by law;
b) entering the service of a foreign power without the consent of the Government.
Article 54
Elections shall be held every fourth year. They shall be concluded by the end of
September.
Article 55
Elections shall be conducted in the manner prescribed by law. Disputes regarding the
right to vote shall be settled by the Election Commission, whose decision may be appealed to
the Storting.
Article 56
(Repealed by Resolution of 23 March 1972.)
Article 57
The number of Members of the Storting shall be one hundred and sixty-nine.
The realm is divided into nineteen constituencies.
One hundred and fifty of the Members of the Storting are elected as representatives of
constituencies and the remaining nineteen Members are elected as members at large.
Each constituency shall have one seat at large.
The number of Members of the Storting to be chosen from each constituency is
determined on the basis of a calculation of the ratio between the number of inhabitants and
surface area of each constituency and the number of inhabitants and surface area of the entire
realm, in which each inhabitant counts as one point and each square kilometre counts as 1.8
points. This calculation shall be made every eighth year.
Specific provisions on the division of the realm into constituencies and on the allotment
of seats in the Storting to the constituencies shall be determined by law.
Article 58
The polls shall be held separately for each municipality. At the polls votes shall be cast
directly for representatives to the Storting, together with their proxies, to represent the entire
constituency.
Article 59
The election of representatives of constituencies is based on proportional representation
and the seats are distributed among the political parties in accordance with the following
rules.
The total number of votes cast for each party within each separate constituency is divided
by 1.4, 3, 5, 7 and so on until the number of votes cast is divided as many times as the
number of seats that the party in question may be expected to obtain. The party which in
accordance with the foregoing obtains the largest quotient is allotted the first seat, while the
second seat is allotted to the party with the second largest quotient, and so on until all the
seats are distributed.
List alliances are not permitted.
The seats at large are distributed among the parties taking part in such distribution on the
basis of the relation between the total number of votes cast for the individual parties in the
entire realm in order to achieve the highest possible degree of proportionality among the
parties. The total number of seats in the Storting to be held by each party is determined by
applying the rules concerning the distribution of constituency seats correspondingly to the
entire realm and to the parties taking part in the distribution of the seats at large. The parties
are then allotted so many seats at large that these, together with the constituency seats
already allotted, correspond to the number of seats in the Storting to which the party in
question is entitled in accordance with the foregoing. If a party has already through the
distribution of constituency seats obtained a greater number of seats than it is entitled to in
accordance with the foregoing, a new distribution of the seats at large shall be carried out
exclusively among the other parties, in such a way that no account is taken of the number of
votes cast for and constituency seats obtained by the said party.
No party may be allotted a seat at large unless it has received at least four per cent of the
total number of votes cast in the entire realm.
Specific provisions concerning the distribution among the constituencies of the seats at
large allotted to the parties shall be determined by law.
Article 60
Whether and in what manner those entitled to vote may deliver their ballot papers
without personal attendance at the polls shall be determined by law.
Article 61
No one may be elected as a Member of the Storting unless he or she is entitled to vote.
Article 62
Officials who are employed in government ministries, except however state secretaries
and political advisers, may not be elected as representatives. The same applies to Members of
the Supreme Court and officials employed in the diplomatic or consular services.
Members of the Council of State may not attend meetings of the Storting as
representatives while holding a seat in the Council of State. Nor may state secretaries attend
as representatives while holding their offices, and political advisers in government ministries
may not attend meetings of the Storting as long as they hold their positions.
Article 63
It is the duty of anyone who is elected as a Member of the Storting to accept such
election, unless they:
a) are elected outside the constituency in which he is entitled to vote,
b) have as a Member attended all the sessions of the Storting following the previous
election,
d) are a member of a political party and are elected on a list of candidates which has not
been issued by that party.
Rules for the time within which and the manner in which anyone who has the right to
refuse election shall assert this right shall be prescribed by law.
It shall similarly be prescribed by law by what date and in which manner anyone who is
elected as representative for two or more constituencies shall state which election he will
accept.
Article 64
The Members elected shall be furnished with credentials, the validity of which shall be
adjudged by the Storting.
Article 65
Every Member and Substitute Member called to the Storting shall be entitled to receive
from the Treasury such reimbursement as is prescribed by law for travelling expenses to and
from the Storting, and from the Storting to his home and back again during vacations lasting
at least fourteen days.
He shall further be entitled to remuneration, likewise prescribed by law, for attending the
Storting.
Article 66
Members on their way to and from the Storting, as well as during their attendance there,
shall be exempt from personal arrest, unless they are apprehended in public crimes. Nor may
they be called to account outside the meetings of the Storting for opinions expressed there.
Everyone shall be bound to conform to the rules of procedure therein adopted.
Article 67
The Members elected in the aforesaid manner shall constitute the Storting of the
Kingdom of Norway.
Article 68
The Storting shall as a rule assemble on the first weekday in October every year in the
capital of the realm, unless the King, by reason of extraordinary circumstances, such as
hostile invasion or infectious disease, designates another town in the realm for the purpose.
Such a decision must be publicly announced in good time.
Article 69 �
When the Storting is not assembled, it may be summoned by the King if he finds it
necessary.
Article 70
(Repealed by Resolution of 29 May 1990)
Article 71
The Members of the Storting function as such for four successive years.
Article 72
(Repealed by Resolution of 29 May 1990.)
Article 73
The Storting appoints a President, five Vice Presidents and two Secretaries. The Storting
may not hold a sitting unless at least half of its Members are present. However, Bills
concerning amendments to the Constitution may not be dealt with unless at least two thirds
of the Members of the Storting are present.
Article 74
As soon as the Storting is constituted, the King, or whoever he appoints for the purpose,
shall open its proceedings with a speech, in which he shall inform it of the state of the realm
and of the issues to which he particularly desires to call the attention of the Storting. No
deliberations may take place in the presence of the King.
When the proceedings of the Storting have been opened, the Prime Minister and the
Members of the Council of State have the right to attend the Storting and, like its Members,
although without voting, to take part in any proceedings conducted in open session, while in
matters discussed in closed session only insofar as permitted by the Storting.
Article 75
It devolves upon the Storting:
a) to enact and repeal laws; to impose taxes, duties, customs and other public charges,
which shall not, however, remain operative beyond 31 December of the succeeding
year, unless they are expressly renewed by a new Storting;
b) to raise loans in the name of the realm; � c) to supervise the monetary system of the realm; � d) to appropriate the moneys necessary to meet government expenditure; � e) to decide how much shall be paid annually to the King for the Royal Household, and to �
determine the Royal Family's appanage, which may not, however, consist of real
property;
f) to have submitted to it the records of the Council of State, and all public reports and
documents;
g) to have communicated to it the treaties which the King, on behalf of the State, has
concluded with foreign powers;
h) to have the right to require anyone, the King and the Royal Family excepted, to appear
before it on matters of State; the exception does not, however, apply to the Royal
Princes and Princesses if they hold any public office;
i) to review the provisional lists of salaries and pensions and to make therein such � alterations as it deems necessary; �
k) to appoint five auditors, who shall annually examine the State Accounts and publish
extracts of the same in print, for which purpose the Accounts shall be submitted to the
auditors within six months of the end of the year for which the appropriations of the
Storting have been made, and to adopt provisions concerning the procedure for
authorising the accounts of government accounting officials;
l) to appoint a person, not a Member of the Storting, in a manner prescribed by law, to
supervise the public administration and all who work in its service, to assure that no
injustice is done against the individual citizen;
m) to naturalise aliens.
Article 76
Every Bill shall first be proposed in the Storting, either by one of its own Members, or by
the Government through a Member of the Council of State.
Once the Bill is passed there, a new deliberation is to take place in the Storting, which
either approves or rejects it. In the latter case the Bill, with the comments appended by the
Storting, shall again be taken into consideration by the Storting, which either shelves the Bill
or approves it with the said comments.
Between each such deliberation there shall be an interval of at least three days.
Article 77
When a Bill has been approved by the Storting in two consecutive sittings, it is sent to the
King with a request that it may receive the Royal Assent.
Article 78
If the King assents to the Bill, he appends his signature, whereby it becomes law.
If he does not assent to it, he returns it to the Storting with a statement that he does not
for the time being find it expedient to give his assent. In that case the Bill must not again be
submitted to the King by the Storting then assembled.
Article 79
If a Bill has been passed unaltered by two sessions of the Storting, constituted after two
separate successive elections and separated from each other by at least two intervening
sessions of the Storting, without a divergent Bill having been passed by any Storting in the
period between the first and last adoption, and it is then submitted to the King with a petition
that His Majesty shall not refuse his assent to a Bill which, after the most mature
deliberation, the Storting considers to be beneficial, it shall become law even if the Royal
Assent is not accorded before the Storting goes into recess.
Article 80
The Storting shall remain in session as long as it deems it necessary and shall terminate
its proceedings when it has concluded its business.
In accordance with the rules of procedure adopted by the Storting, the proceedings may
be resumed, but they shall terminate not later than the last weekday in the month of
September.
Within this time the King shall communicate his decision with regard to the Bills that
have not already been decided, by either confirming or rejecting them. All those which he
does not expressly accept are deemed to have been rejected by him.
Article 81 �
All Acts (with the exception of those mentioned in Article 79) are drawn up in the name
of the King, under the Seal of the Realm of Norway, and in the following terms: «We, X,
make it publicly known: that the decision of the Storting of the date stated has been laid
before Us: (here follows the decision). In consequence whereof We have assented to and
confirmed, as We hereby do assent to and confirm the same as Law under Our Hand and the
Seal of the Realm.»
Article 82
The Government is to provide the Storting with all information that is necessary for the
proceedings on the matters it submits. No Member of the Council of State may submit
incorrect or misleading information to the Storting or its bodies.
Article 83
The Storting may obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court on points of law.
Article 84
The Storting shall meet in open session, and its proceedings shall be published in print,
except in those cases where a majority decides to the contrary.
Article 85
Any person who obeys an order the purpose of which is to disturb the liberty and security
of the Storting is thereby guilty of treason against the country.
D. The Judicial Power
Article 86
The Court of Impeachment pronounces judgment in the first and last instance in such
proceedings as are brought by the Storting against Members of the Council of State or of the
Supreme Court or of the Storting for criminal or other unlawful conduct in cases where they
have breached their constitutional obligations.
The specific rules concerning indictment by the Storting in accordance with this Article
shall be determined by law. However, the limitation period for the institution of indictment
proceedings before the Court of Impeachment may not be set at less than 15 years.
The judges of the Court of Impeachment comprise six Members elected by the Storting
and the five longest-serving, permanently appointed Members of the Supreme Court,
including the President of the Supreme Court. The Storting elects the Members and their
deputies for a period of six years. A Member of the Council of State or of the Storting may
not be elected as a Member of the Court of Impeachment. In the Court of Impeachment the
President of the Supreme Court shall preside.
Any person sitting in the Court of Impeachment who has been elected by the Storting
shall not lose his seat in the Court if the period for which he is elected expires before the
Court of Impeachment has concluded the proceedings in the case. Nor shall a Justice of the
Supreme Court who is a Member of the Court of Impeachment lose his seat in the Court,
even if he resigns as a Member of the Supreme Court.
Article 87 �
Specific provisions as to the composition of the Court of Impeachment and its procedures
shall be laid down by law.
Article 88 �
The Supreme Court pronounces judgment in the final instance. Nevertheless, limitations
on the right to bring a case before the Supreme Court may be prescribed by law.
The Supreme Court shall consist of a President and at least four other Members.
Article 89
In cases brought before the Courts, the Courts have the power and the duty to review
whether Laws and other decisions made by the authorities of the State are contrary to the
Constitution.
Article 90
The judgments of the Supreme Court may in no case be appealed.
Article 91
No one may be appointed a Member of the Supreme Court before reaching 30 years of
age.
E. Human Rights
Article 92
The authorities of the State shall respect and ensure human rights as they are expressed in
this Constitution and in the treaties concerning human rights that are binding for Norway.
Article 93
Every human being has the right to life. No one may be sentenced to death.
No one may be subjected to torture or other inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment.
No one shall be held in slavery or required to perform forced labour.
The authorities of the State shall protect the right to life and oppose torture, slavery,
forced labour and other forms of inhuman or degrading treatment.
Article 94
No one may be taken into custody or otherwise be deprived of their liberty except in the
cases determined by law and in the manner prescribed by law. Deprivation of liberty must be
necessary and must not constitute a disproportionate infringement.
Persons arrested shall as soon as possible be brought before a court. Others who have
been deprived of their liberty have the right to bring their deprivation of liberty before a court
without unjustified delay.
Those responsible for the unwarranted arrest or illegal detention of a person shall be
answerable to the person concerned.
Article 95
Everyone has the right to have their case tried by an independent and impartial court
within reasonable time. Legal proceedings shall be fair and public. The court may however
conduct proceedings in camera if considerations of the privacy of the parties concerned or if
weighty and significant public interests necessitate this.
The authorities of the state shall ensure the independence and impartiality of the courts
and the members of the judiciary.
Article 96
No one may be sentenced except according to law, or be punished except after a court
judgment.
Everyone has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.
No one may be sentenced to surrender property or accumulated wealth unless the assets
have been used to commit or are profits from a criminal act.
Article 97
No law must be given retroactive effect.
Article 98
All people are equal under the law.
No human being must be subject to unfair or disproportionate differential treatment.
Article 99
(Repealed by Resolution of 13 May 2014.)
Article 100
There shall be freedom of expression.
No one may be held liable in law for having imparted or received information, ideas or
messages unless this can be justified in relation to the grounds for freedom of expression,
which are the seeking of truth, the promotion of democracy and the individual's freedom to
form opinions. Such legal liability shall be prescribed by law.
Everyone shall be free to speak their mind frankly on the administration of the State and
on any other subject whatsoever. Clearly defined limitations to this right may only be
imposed when particularly weighty considerations so justify in relation to the grounds for
freedom of expression.
Prior censorship and other preventive measures may not be applied unless so required in
order to protect children and young persons from the harmful influence of moving pictures.
Censorship of letters may only be imposed in institutions.
Everyone has a right of access to documents of the State and municipalities and a right to
follow the proceedings of the courts and democratically elected bodies. Limitations to this
right may be prescribed by law to protect the privacy of the individual or for other weighty
reasons.
The authorities of the state shall create conditions that facilitate open and enlightened
public discourse.
Article 101
Everyone has the right to form, join and leave associations, including trade unions and
political parties.
All people may meet in peaceful assemblies and demonstrations.
The Government is not entitled to employ military force against citizens of the state,
except in accordance with the law, unless an assembly disturbs the public peace and does not
immediately disperse after the articles of the statute book relating to riots have been read out
clearly three times by the civil authority.
Article 102
Everyone has the right to the respect of their privacy and family life, their home and their
communication. Search of private homes shall not be made except in criminal cases.
The authorities of the state shall ensure the protection of personal integrity.
Article 103
(Repealed by Resolution of 13 May 2014.)
Article 104
Children have the right to respect for their human dignity. They have the right to be heard
in questions that concern them, and due weight shall be attached to their views in accordance
with their age and development.
For actions and decisions that affect children, the best interests of the child shall be a
fundamental consideration.
Children have the right to protection of their personal integrity. The authorities of the
state shall create conditions that facilitate the child's development, including ensuring that the
child is provided with the necessary economic, social and health security, preferably within
their own family.
Article 105
If the welfare of the state requires that any person shall surrender their movable or
immovable property for the public use, they shall receive full compensation from the
Treasury.
Article 106
Everyone who resides legally in the realm may move freely within the borders of the
realm and choose their place of residence there.
No one may be denied the right to leave the realm, unless so required out of consideration
for effective legal proceedings or the performance of military service. Norwegian citizens
may not be refused entry into the realm.
Article 107
(Amended by Resoultions of 6 May 2014 and 27 May 2014, content moved to article � 117.)
Article 108
The authorities of the state shall create conditions enabling the Sami people to preserve � and develop its language, culture and way of life. �
Article 109
Everyone has the right to education. Children have the right to receive basic education. � The education shall safeguard the individual's abilities and needs, and promote respect for � democracy, the rule of law and human rights. �
The authorities of the state shall ensure access to upper secondary education and equal � opportunities for higher education on the basis of qualifications. �
Article 110
The authorities of the state shall create conditions under which every person capable of � work is able to earn a living through their work or enterprise. Those who cannot themselves � provide for their own subsistence have the right to support from the state. �
Specific provisions concerning the right of employees to co-determination at their work � place shall be laid down by law. �
Article 111
(Amended by Resoultions of 6 May 2014 and 27 May 2014, content moved to article
120.)
Article 112
Every person has the right to an environment that is conducive to health and to a natural � environment whose productivity and diversity are maintained. Natural resources shall be � managed on the basis of comprehensive long-term considerations which will safeguard this � right for future generations as well. �
In order to safeguard their right in accordance with the foregoing paragraph, citizens are
entitled to information on the state of the natural environment and on the effects of any
encroachment on nature that is planned or carried out.
The authorities of the state shall take measures for the implementation of these principles.
Article 113
Infringement of the authorities against the individual must be founded on the law.
F. General Provisions
Article 114
To senior official posts in the State may be appointed only Norwegian citizens, men or
women, who speak the language of the country, and who:
a) either were born in the realm of parents who were then Norwegian subjects
b) or were born in a foreign country of Norwegian parents who were not at that time
subjects of another State
c) or hereafter have resided for ten years in the realm
d) or have been naturalised by the Storting.
Others may, however, be appointed as teachers at universities and institutions of higher
learning, as medical practitioners and as consuls in places abroad.
Article 115
In order to safeguard international peace and security or to promote the international rule
of law and cooperation, the Storting may, by a three-fourths majority, consent that an
international organisation to which Norway belongs or will belong shall have the right,
within specified fields, to exercise powers which in accordance with this Constitution are
normally vested in the authorities of the state, although not the power to alter this
Constitution. For the Storting to grant such consent, at least two thirds of its Members shall
be present, as required for proceedings for amending the Constitution.
The provisions of this Article do not apply in cases of membership in an international
organisation whose decisions only have application for Norway exclusively under
international law.
Article 116
The purchase money, as well as the revenues of the landed property constituting
ecclesiastical benefices, shall be applied solely to the benefit of the clergy and to the
promotion of education. The property of charitable foundations shall be applied solely to the
benefit of the foundations themselves.
Article 117
Allodial right and the right of primogeniture shall not be abolished. The specific
conditions under which these rights shall continue for the greatest benefit of the state and to
the best advantage of the rural population shall be determined by the first or second
subsequent Storting.
Article 118
No earldoms, baronies, entailed estates or fidei commissa may be created in the future.
Article 119
As a general rule every citizen of the State is equally bound to serve in the defence of the
country for a specific period, irrespective of birth or fortune.
The application of this principle, and the restrictions to which it shall be subject, shall be
determined by law.
Article 120 �
The form and colours of the flag of Norway shall be determined by law. �
Article 121 �
If experience shows that any part of this Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway ought to
be amended, the proposal to this effect shall be submitted to the first, second or third Storting
after a new parliamentary election and be publicly announced in print. But it shall be left to
the first, second or third Storting after the following parliamentary election to decide whether
or not the proposed amendment shall be adopted. Such an amendment must never, however,
contradict the principles embodied in this Constitution, but solely relate to modifications of
particular provisions which do not alter the spirit of the Constitution, and two thirds of the
Storting must agree with such an amendment.
An amendment to the Constitution adopted in the manner aforesaid shall be signed by the
President and the Secretary of the Storting, and shall be sent to the King for public
announcement in print as an applicable provision of the Constitution of the Kingdom of
Norway.