1.
Extracts from the Constitution of Norway.
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§ 1. The Kingdom of Norway is a free, independent, indivisible, and
inalinenable realm united with Sweden under one King.
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§ 5. The King's person is sacred. He must not be blamed nor accused. The
responsibility is incumbent on His Council.
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§15. [-- --] The Prime Minister reports the matters and is responsible
for the documents issued being in accordance with the resolutions
adopted.
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§ 30. All matters dealt with in the Cabinet Council should be recorded.
Each number of the Cabinet Council is bound to express, fearlessly, his
opinion which the King is obliged to listen to. But it is reserved for
the latter to take these resolutions according to His own judgment.
If a member of the Cabinet Council should find the Kings' resolution
incongruous with the form of government, or the public laws of the
country, or else obviously harmful to the realm, it is his duty to make
strenuous remonstrance and to have his opinon recorded. He who has not
issued a protest in this way, is considered to have agreed with the King
and is responsible for it in the way subsequently indicated, and the
Odelsthing can proeced against him before the Court of impeachment.
§ 31. All orders (ezcepting matters of military command) issued by the
King himself, should be countersigned by one of the Prime Ministers.
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§ 76. Each law shall first be moved in the Odelsthing, either by its own
members or by the Government through a Cabinet Minister. [-- --]
§ 77. When a resolution passed by the Odelsthing has been approved of by
the Lagthing, or by the assembled Storthing, it is sent to the King if
present, or else to the Norwegian Government with the request of
obtaining the sanction of the King.
§ 78. If the King approves of the resolution he shall attach His
signature to it, through which it passes into law. If He does not approve
of it, He shall send it back to the Odelsthing with the declaration that
He does not find it suitable, at present, to sanction it. In this case
the resolution must not again be laid before the King by the Storthing
then assembled.
§ 79. If a resolution has, in unaltered form, been passed by three
ordinary Storthings constituted after three different consecutive general
Elections and separated from each other by at least two intermediate
ordinary Storthings without that, in the interval between the first and
the last adoption of the resolution, a divergent resolution has been
passed by a Storthing, and if it is then submitted to the King with the
request that His Majesty may be pleased not to negative a resolution
regarded as useful by the Storthing after mature consideration, then it
passes into law, even if the King's sanction should not be obtained
before the break-up of the Storthing.
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§ 112. If experience should teach that some part of the Constitution of
the realm of Norway ought to be altered, the motion for it shall be made
at the first ordinary Storthing after a new general election and be
issued from the press. But it can only to be one of the ordinary
Storthings after the next general election, to decide as to whether the
amendment moved should be accepted or not. Such an amendment, however,
must never be contrary to the principles of this Constitution, but should
only regard a modification of particular regulations, not affecting the
spirit of this Constitution, and such an amendment should be seconded by
two thirds of the Storthing.
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2.
Extracts from the Act of Union.
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§ 4. The King shall have the right to concentrate troops, commence war
and to conclude peace, enter into and annul alliances, dismiss and
receive ambassadors. [-- --]
§ 5. Both the Norwegian Prime Ministers and the two Cabinet Ministers
accompaning the King shall have a seat and vote in the Swedish Cabinet
Council, whenever matters affecting both countries are there transacted.
In such cases the opinion of the Government residing in Norway shall be
consulted unless such a speedy decision be required that time does not
allow of it.
When, in the Norwegian Cabinet Council, matters affecting both countries
are transacted, three members of the Swedish Cabinet Council shall there
have a seat and vote.
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§ 7[72:1]. [-- --] Matters concerning both the Kingdoms, but which in
consequence of their nature, do not belong to the administration of any
special Department, are reported by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and
are despatched to each Kingdom, drawn up in its own language; to Sweden
by the above mentioned reporter Minister and to Norway by her Prime
Minister.
Diplomatic (Cabinet) matters are reported by the Minister for Foreign
affairs, and are entered into a separate protocol[73:1]. [-- --]
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§ 12. Whereas the regulations contained in this Act of Union partly are
copied from the Constitution of the realm of Norway, partly are additions
to it, based on the right awarded to the present Storthing by the
Constitution, they shall, with regard to Norway, have and retain the same
authority as the Constitution of that realm, and they must not be altered
but in the way indicated in § 112 of that same Constitution.
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