The county governor ( nb, statsforvalteren; nn, statsforvaltaren, lit. ''state administrator'' in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

) is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

government agency A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...

that represents the central government administration in every county in Norway. Responsible for a number of supervision and management duties, the governor is the representative of the

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

and the

government of Norway The politics of Norway take place in the framework of a parliamentary system, parliamentary, representative democracy, representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Executive power is exercised by the Council of State (Norway), Council of St ...

in each county, functioning as the connection between the state and the

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

. The county governor is subordinate to the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation but also to the other ministries in their respective duties. The governor is part of the executive branch and so is formally appointed by the king in a cabinet meeting. The main responsibilities of the governor include controlling and being an instance of appeal for municipal decisions and the main instance for exercising state regulation of

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

and local

environmental impact Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

. The governor is also responsible for civil matters including

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving th ...

and

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

. if a municipality fails to balance its budget, the governor enters the municipality into the Register for Governmental Approval of Financial Obligations and obtain some control over the municipality's finances. The

governor of Svalbard The governor of Svalbard ( no, Sysselmesteren på Svalbard) represents the Norwegian government in exercising its sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago (Spitsbergen). The position reports to the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, but it mai ...

has wider authorities, including for the

police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

History

The county governor has been an institution since the 12th century, though the institution has had many names, including ''sysselmann'', ''lensmann'', ''

amtmann __NOTOC__ The ''Amtmann'' or ''Ammann'' (in Switzerland) was an official in German-speaking countries of Europe and in some of the Nordic countries from the time of the Middle Ages whose office was akin to that of a bailiff. He was the most seni ...

'', ''fylkesmann'' and now ''statsforvalter''. Prior to 1919, the county governor ( no, amtmann) reported to the diocesan governor ( no, stiftamtmann), who oversaw all of the counties with a

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associ ...

in Norway. The role of diocesan governor was abolished on 1 January 1919. Also on that date, the title of was changed to . On 1 January 2021, the title of was changed to the new, gender neutral (lit. state administrator). In 1976, the county municipality was created as a separate, elected body that oversees each county and the role of the county governor was changed to accommodate this.

Governors

After Solberg government's regional reforms, the current county governors serves for the new counties: In recent times, county governors are former

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

s or have a background in the

police force The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

. It is uncommon for governors to hold an office for less than a decade, and many of the present governors were appointed in the 1990s. It has often been seen as a way to retire former high-office politicians from active political duty, and at the same time issue a high-standing position in the public administration at their home place. Although almost all county governors are former active politicians, it has been regarded as customary that an incumbent county governor does not participate in partisan politics.

References

{{Lists of county governors of Norway Government of Norway County administration of Norway

History

Governors

See also

References