Erik Strand 19.11.23
On June 16, 2023 the Norwegian parliament sanctioned a new law on elections. The law is still not implemented by the government. The new law makes it considerably more difficult to run for election in Norway.
To describe the new law, and why it is problematic, I will start by describing the rules on who can participate in elections according to the old law. Norway is divided into 19 electoral districts, which until january 2020 were identical to Norway’s 19 counties. After a reform and a partial counter reform, the number of counties is reduced to 15. The elecoral districts remain the same, as one needs a change in the constitution in order to change the electoral districts.
For those registered political parties which got at least 5 000 votes in the latest parliamentary election or at least 500 votes in one of the 19 electoral districts, participating in elections is easy. All one needs is a list of candidates (at least 7) signed by two board members in the party’s county chapter (or minicipal chapter for municipal elections). The same went for new parties that were registered after the latest parliamentary elections. In order to register a new party one needed signatures from 5 000 voters.
For other parties and groups to participate, one needed to collect signatures from 500 people with voting rights in the district in order to run for parliamentary election or county election. In order to participate in municipal election, the list of candidate had to be signed by a number equal to at least 2 % of number of people vith voting rights in the municipality at the time of the last municipal election, but never more than 300 signatures.
Article 5-4 in the new law states that for registred parties which got at least 5 000 votes in the latest parliamentary election, it is still enough to get signatures from two board mebers in the district. It is however not enough to get 500 votes in one of the 19 electoral districts. Newly registered parties can still participate under the simplified rules (signatures from two board members). The difference is that on now needs 10 000 sigantures in order to register a new party.
For other parties and groups, conditions are radically altered. In order to participate in an electoral district in a municipal, county or parliamentary election, one needs signatures from a number of people equivalent to 1 % of the people with voting rights in the district.
When it comes to populous districts, the requirements for participating in elections become very strict. The motives to the new law, written by the department, illustrate this by discussing the case of Akershus, one of Norway’s most populous electoral districts. The following is translated from page 125-126 in the motives (Prop 45 L (2022-2023)):
“The department supports the committee in that the requirement for the number of signatures on list proposals at parliamentary elections and county council elections should be increased, as it is currently too easy, in the ministry’s opinion, to present a list. This can be seen, among other things, in the fact that many lists receive very few votes in the election. List proposals can be created and signed both electronically and on paper, which, according to the department’s assessment, makes it easy to collect signatures. The ministry further agrees with the majority of the committee that the requirement for the number of signatures should be set to as many people as correspond to at least one percent of the number of people with the right to vote at the previous election in the electoral district. There are few consultation bodies that comment on this requirement, but the committee’s proposal is supported by the majority of these. Such a requirement would mean that it is adapted to the size of the electoral districts, so that it will be relatively easy to submit a list in all electoral districts. In the hearing, a proposal was made that there should be a maximum limit for the number of signatures required to present a list. The committee did not propose any such limit for parliamentary elections or county council elections. The department sees that without such a maximum limit, the requirement for the number of signatures will increase significantly, especially in the largest electoral districts and the counties. For example, the requirement to present a list in the Akershus electoral district will change from 500 to approximately 4,700 signatures. The department nevertheless believes, like the committee, that a maximum limit should not be set. Here, the department places decisive emphasis on the fact that such a limit will lead to it being easier to put up a list in large electoral districts than in smaller electoral districts. On this basis, the department proposes that list proposals from other than registered political parties that received at least 5,000 votes in the whole country at the previous general election must be signed by as many people as correspond to at least one percent of the number of people with the right to vote at the previous election in the electoral district. The department sees that the proposal will involve more work for the county election boards and district election boards that will go through and check the signatures, and will look at how this work can be simplified through digital solutions. For the parties that have not received more than 5,000 votes nationally and for local lists, the proposal will involve more work in obtaining a sufficient number of signatures. The possibility to collect signatures both digitally and on paper will simplify the work.”
I find it necessary to comment upon the claim that the possibility to collect signatures both digitally and on paper will simplify the work. The system for collecting signatures digitally has been proven quite unreliable.
There is no objective answer to the question of how many signatures one should be required to collect in order to participate in elections. Increasing the number from 500 to about 4 700 in a populous district is anyway a radical increase with quite negative consequences. I have myself collected a lot of signatures and have been able to collect about 30 on a good day. Other people can be more effective or less effective. The new law then requires more than 150 days of work in order to participate in one of Norway’s 19 electoral districts.
There are situations where a minority point at problems and solutions that are worth listening to, including the setting of an electoral campaign. Norway’s new Law on Elections is the wrong way of dealing with such situations.
Another aspect of the new law also begs for a comment. In the new law, the distinction between municipal election on one hand and county and parliamentary elections on the other has been removed. This means that groups not representing registered national parties will find it wery difficult to participate in local elections, at least in the larger cities. This is detrimental to local politics, where political issues might be independent of national parties and the differences between these. This can be illustrated by comparing the population of Akershus (from the example above with about 4 700 signatures required) with the population numbers in Norway’s five most populous municipalities (numbers are from Wikipedia, including all inhavitants, not only people with voting rights):
Akershus 717 020
Oslo 709 037
Bergen 288 133
Trondheim 212 660
Stavanger 146 711
Bærum 129 874
When faced with such a questionable law, one should look at who has voted for it. One can see the votes by the members of parliament here. The intersting vote is the one between alternative 10A and 10B. Alternative 10A is the alternative proposed by the government, while 10B is a minority proposal by the parties Liberal Party and Red.
The minority proposal had the following wording:
“(2) Other list proposals must be signed by at least as many persons as correspond to 0.5 per cent of the number of persons entitled to vote at the previous election in the electoral district. In municipal council elections, the list proposal must still be signed by at least as many people as there are members to be elected to the municipal council. In municipal council elections, signatures from 300 people are always sufficient anyway.”
The proposal from Red and the Liberal Party at least allows for lists independent of national parties to have a reasonable chance to stand for election in municipal council elections. The number of signatures Red and the Liberal Party will require for one of the smaller parties to stand for election in the Storting and County Council elections is half of what the majority agreed to. Based on what has been reproduced from the preparatory work above, it can be seen that it would have entailed a radical increase in any case.
The overview is translated to English below.
Members of parliament supporting the government’s proposal
Bente Irene Aaland, Labour Party
Maria Aasen-Svendsrud, Labour Party
Per-Willy Amundsen, Progress Party
Jorodd Asphjell, Labour Party
Nicolai Astrup, Conservative Party
Åsmund Aukrust, Labour Party
Åse Kristin Ask Bakke, Labour Party
Nils T. Bjørke, Centre Party
Jone Blikra, Labour Party
Camilla Maria Brekke, Labour Party
Sandra Bruflot
Erlend Svardal Bøe
Eivind Drivenes, Centre Party
Hårek Elvenes, Conservative Party
Liv Kari Eskeland, Conservative Party
Mona Fagerås, Socialist Left Party
Mahmoud Farahmand, Conservative Party
Bengt Fasteraune, Centre Party
Ingrid Fiskaa, Socialist Left Party
Nils-Ole Foshaug, Labour Party
Ingunn Foss, Conservative Party
Peter Frølich, Conservative Party
Kjerstin Wøyen Funderud, Centre Party
Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes, Socialist Left Party
Olve Grotle, Conservative Party
Himanshu Gulati, Progress Party
Kamzy, Gunaratnam, Labour Party
Margrethe Haarr, Centre Party
Carl I. Hagen, Progress Party
Margret Hagerup. Conservative Party
Terje Halleland, Progress Party
Trond Helleland, Conservative Party
Kari Henriksen, Labour Party
Silje Hjemdal, Progress Party
Odd Harald Hovland, Labour Party
Marian Hussein, Socialist Left Party
Geir Adelsten Iversen, Centre Party
Frode Jacobsen, Labour Party
Lubna Boby Jaffery, Labour Party
Tor André Johnsen, Progress Party
Kari-Anne Jønnes, Conservative Party
Mudassar Kapur, Conservative Party
Birgit Oline Kjerstad, Socialist Left Party
Per Vidar Kjølmoen, Labour Party
Kathrine Kleveland, Centre Party
Lisa Marie Ness Klungland, Centre Party
Bjørnar Laabak, Progress Party
Irene Heng Lausnes, Conservative Party
Stein Erik Lauvås, Labour Party
Kirsti Leirtrø, Labour Party
Kathy Lie, Socialist Left Party
Geir Inge Lien, Centre Party
Hans Andreas Limi, Progress Party
Anne Kristine Linnestad, Conservative Party
Per Olaf Lundteigen, Centre Party
Tove Elise Madland, Labour Party
Øystein Mathisen, Labour Party
Linda Monsen Merkesdal, Labour Party
Hans Inge Myrvold, Centre Party
Tellef Inge Mørland, Labour Party
Helge André Njåstad, Progress Party
Marianne Sivertsen Næss, Labour Party
Helge Orten, Conservative Party
Tage Pettersen, Conservative Party
Ivar B. Prestbakmo, Centre Party
Kari Mette Prestrud, Centre Party
Kjell Inge Ropstad, Christian Democratic Party
Else Marie Rødby, Centre Party
Even A. Røed, Labour Party
Erling Sande, Centre Party
Nils Kristen Sandtrøen, Labour Party
Per Martin Sandtrøen, Centre Party
Gisle Meininger Saudland
Ingjerd Schie Schou, Conservative Party
Runar Sjåstad, Labour Party
Siri Gåsemyr Staalesen, Labour Party
Marit Knutsdatter Strand, Centre Party
Bengt Rune Strifeldt, Progress Party
Trine Lise Sundnes, Labour Party
Frank Edvard Sve, Progress Party
Terje Sørvik, Labour Party
Michael Tetzschner, Conservative Party
Ove Trellevik, Conservative Party
Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen, Conservative Party
Andreas Sjalg Undeland, Socialist Left Party
Solveig Vitanza, Labour Party
Elise Waagen, Labour Party
Grete Wold, Socialist Left Party
Henning Wold, Conservative Party
Morten Wold, Progress Party
Members of parliament supporting the minority proposal
Grunde Almeland, Liberal Party
Une Bastholm, Green Party
Alfred Jens Bjørlo, Liberal Party
Rasmus Hansson, Green Party
Geir Jørgensen, Red
Sofie Marhaug, Red
Helge Bae Nyholt, Red
Irene Ojala, Patient Focus
Abid Raja, Liberal Party
Naomi Wessel, Red
Fampo 