Norway’s national parliament, established by the Constitution of 1814, is called the Storting.
The word Storting means “the great thing” or “great assembly.” Norway’s constitution created the institution after the country entered a union with Sweden, while retaining considerable internal self-government. The Storting originally had a two-chamber structure, but it became a single-chamber legislature in 2009.
The parliament meets in Oslo, Norway’s capital, in a distinctive yellow-and-red building completed in 1866. Its members are elected by proportional representation from Norway’s counties. The Storting passes laws, approves the national budget, and scrutinizes the government.
The name is sometimes confused with Althing, Iceland’s parliament, and Folketing, Denmark’s parliament. Riksdag is the corresponding term for Sweden’s legislature. These names reflect different national parliamentary traditions across Scandinavia.