Change of government
The King plays an important role in the formal transition from one government to the next. Formally it is His Majesty who tasks the Prime Minister-designate with forming a new government.
The formal procedure for a change of government is that the prime minister in power informs the King that the Government will step down and tenders the King his or her resignation.
Once the King has received the resignation, the outgoing government serves as a caretaker government with limited authority until the new government is in place.
The procedure
The King consults the Prime Minister about who should form the new government. The recommendation will normally be a candidate from the party or coalition with the greatest support in the Storting (the Norwegian national assembly). It is constitutional practice that the King follows this advice.
The King will then ask the selected candidate to form a government.
The King may also ask the advice of the President of the Storting or the parliamentary leaders of the various parties. If the parliamentary situation is unclear the King may use his discretion. This occurred in 1928, when King Haakon VII chose Christopher Hornsrud, who led the country’s first Labour Government, against the advice of the resigning prime minister.
The Norwegian Constitution: Article 12
The Constitution
The rules regarding the composition of the government – the King’s Council – are set out in Section 12 of the Constitution:
"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."
The formal resignation of the old government and appointment of the new one each take place at a special session of the Council of State. The new government is officially constituted when the King has signed a Royal Decree to this effect.