The Members assemble on the first weekday in October to begin a new session of the Storting. When a newly elected Storting first convenes, the credentials that the Members are given by their counties are examined and approved.

When the recommendation from the Credentials Committee has been acted upon, the Storting proceeds to elect its President and five Vice Presidents. Two Secretaries are also elected. These elections are carried out every year.

Once it has been reported to the Storting that their Presidents and Secretaries have been elected, the President declares the Storting lawfully constituted and notifies the King.

The State Opening of the Storting

The King normally performs the State Opening of the Storting on the first working day after the Storting has constituted itself. The Speech from the Throne, which is delivered by the King, is a presentation of the Government’s programme for the coming year. After this, a member of the Government reads the Report on the State of the Realm. Some days later, the Speech from the Throne is debated by the Storting.

The Fiscal Budget

The Royal Proposition concerning the Fiscal Budget (commonly known as Proposition No. 1 or the Yellow Book) must be laid before the Storting within 6 days of the State Opening. Here, the Minister of Finance makes her statement on the Government’s Fiscal Budget Proposition, the so-called Budget Statement.

Matters from the previous electoral term

Private Member’s Bills that were not considered during the previous electoral term are dropped when the new Storting convenes. The Presidium may, however, propose that Royal Propositions and white papers are considered in the new term once the new Government has made its views known.