Allotment of seats for the 2021 parliamentary election
The Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation has finished its work on the allotment of seats for the 2021 parliamentary election. As of next year, there will be certain changes in the distribution of seats between the constituencies.
The overall number of seats in the Storting will remain 169. The constituencies of Møre og Romsdal, Oppland and Buskerud will lose one seat each, while Oslo will gain one and Akershus two seats. The latter two constituencies have been allocated extra seats because of a sizeable growth in their populations. Some constituencies have also had their boundaries redrawn as a result of the local government reform.
Article 57 of the Norwegian Constitution specifies that the number of MPs elected from each constituency must be based on a “calculation of the ratio between the number of inhabitants and surface area of each constituency and the number of inhabitants and surface area of the entire realm.” It also states that this calculation must be made every eighth year.
Many counties have been merged recently as part of the local government reform. However, the constituencies will remain unchanged for next year’s general election. This means that they will still correspond to the old county boundaries, though adjustments will be made for the municipalities that have been moved from one county to another.
Distribution of seats for the 2021 parliamentary election. Illustration: Storting