County Governor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Norway

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Norway
Constitution
Monarchy
Government
Parliament
Elections
Local Gov't
Foreign policy
Other countries · Atlas
 Politics Portal
view • talk • edit

County Governor (Norwegian: Fylkesmannen) is a Norwegian government agency represented in 18 of the Norwgian counties responsible for a number of supervision and management duties. The Governor is the King and Government of Norways representative in each county, functioning as the connection between the state and the municipalities. The County Governors are subordinate the Ministry of Government Administration and Reform, but are also subordinate other ministries in their respective duties.

The main responsibilities for the Governor include controlling and being an instance of appeal for municipal decisions, and the main instance for excersising state regulation of agriculture and local environmental impact. The Governor is also responsible for civil matters including marriage, divorce and citizenship.

The Governor of Svalbard is not a regular Governor, and has increased authority, including the police force.

[edit] History

The County Governor has been an institution since the 12th century, though the institution has had many names, including sysselmann, lensmann, amtmann and now fylkesmann. Its present form was created in 1976 when the county municipality was demerged to form a separate, elected body.

[edit] Governors

County Governor
Aust-Agder Svein Åril (acting)
Buskerud Kirsti Kolle Grøndahl
Finnmark Gunnar Kjønnøy
Hedmark Sigbjørn Johnsen
Hordaland Svein Alsaker
Møre og Romsdal Part of Møre og Romsdal county municipality
Nordland Hill-Marta Solberg
Nord-Trøndelag Inger Lise Gjørv
Oppland Kristin Hille Valla
Oslo and Akershus Hans Røsjorde
Rogaland Tora Aasland
Sogn og Fjordane Oddvar Flæte
Sør-Trøndelag Kåre Gjønnes
Telemark Kari Nordheim-Larsen
Troms Svein Ludvigsen
Vest-Agder Ann-Kristin Olsen
Vestfold Mona Røkke
Østfold Anne Enger

Most governors are former politicians or have background from the police force. It is uncommon for governors to sit in office for less than a decade, and of the present governors were appointed in the early 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.

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Lists of County Governors of Norway