The Kingdom of Norway occupies the western half of the Scandinavian peninsula. A rugged, mountainous country, it covers an area of 324,200 square kilometres and has a population of 4.4 million. The Head of State is H.M. King Harald V, who acceded to the throne in 1991. The Storting is made up of 165 members directly elected for four-year terms by proportional representation.
Parliamentary elections are mandatory every four years at specific dates.
The current Government, which was appointed on 17 March 2000, is a minority Labour Government, formed after the Conservatives withdrew their support from the previous centre-right coalition government of Kjell Magne Bondevik. The Prime Minister is Mr Jens Stoltenberg. The next election will be held on 15 September 2001. At the other end of the spectrum, the right leaning Progress Party is the second largest party in the Parliament and has taken an outspoken stance against immigration and asylum seekers. Its popularity has at times exceeded the Labour Party, but its policies have made any political dealings with it very difficult for other parties to accept.