ART. 68. The Storthing shall, as a rule, assemble on the first week day after the tenth of October of each year, at the capital of the kingdom, unless the King, on account of extraordinary circumstances, such as hostile invasion or contagious disease, shall designate another city of the kingdom for the purpose. Such designation shall then be publicly announced in time. ART. 69. In extraordinary cases the King may convene the Storthing at another than the usual time. In such a case the King shall issue a proclamation, which shall be read in all the churches of the episcopal towns at least fourteen days before the members of the Storthing are to assemble at the appointed place. ART. 70. Such extraordinary session of the Storthing may be adjourned by the King whenever he thinks proper. ART. 71. The members of the Storthing shall serve as such for three successive years, in all extraordinary and regular sessions of the Storthing which are held during that time. ART. 72. If the Storthing is in extraordinary session at the time when the regular session should commence, the extraordinary session shall be adjourned before the regular session begins. ART. 73. The Storthing shall select one-fourth part of its members to constitute the Lagthing; the remaining threefourths shall form the Odelsthing. This selection shall take place at the first regular session of the Storthing which convenes after a new election, and thereafter the Lagthing shall remain unchanged for all sessions of the Storthing assembled after the same election, except that vacancies occurring among its members shall be filled by special selection. Each house shall hold its meetings separately and elect its own president and secretary. Neither house shall hold meetings unless two-thirds of its members are present. ART. 74. As soon as the Storthing is organized, the King, or the one appointed by him for the purpose, shall open its proceedings with a speech, in which he shall give information regarding the conditions of the kingdom and concerning matters to which he particularly desires to direct the attention of the Storthing. No deliberations shall take place in the presence of the King. When the proceedings of the Storthing are opened the Minister of State and the councilors of state shall have the right to attend in the Storthing and in both branches thereof, and upon an equality with its members but without vote, to take part in the proceedings, in so far as they are conducted publicly, but in secret sessions, only so far as the body in question may grant permission. ART. 75. The Storthing shall have power: a) To enact and to repeal laws; to impose taxes, imposts, duties, and other public burdens, which, however, shall not remain in force beyond the first day of April of the year after the one in which a new regular session of the Storthing has met, unless they are expressly renewed in such session. b) To borrow money on the credit of the kingdom. d) To appropriate the money necessary to meet the expenditures of the state. e) To determine the amount which shall annually be paid to the King for the maintenance of his royal household, and to settle the appanage of the royal family, which shall not, however, consist of real property. f) To have laid before it the minutes of the Council of State and all public reports and papers (exclusive of those relating particularly to matters of military command). g) To have submitted to it the alliances and treaties which the King has entered into with foreign powers on behalf of the state, except secret articles, which shall not, however, conflict with those that are public. h) To summon before it, upon public affairs, anyone except the King and the royal family; this exception, however, shall not apply to royal princes if they hold office. i) To revise temporary salary and pension lists, and to make such changes therein as it considers necessary. k) To appoint five auditors who shall annually audit the accounts of the state, and issue printed abstracts thereof; for this purpose such accounts shall be submitted to the auditors within six months after the expiration of the year for which the appropriations of the Storthing were made. 1) To naturalize foreigners. ART. 76. Every bill shall be first presented in the Odelsthing, either by one of its members or by the government, through a councilor of state. If adopted in that house the bill shall be sent to the Lagthing which may either approve or reject it, and in the latter case shall return it with objections. Such objections shall be considered by the Odelsthing, which may either drop the bill or send it again to the Lagthing with or without alteration. When a bill from the Odelsthing has been twice presented to the Lagthing and has been a second time rejected, the entire Storthing shall meet and act upon the bill by a two-thirds vote. Three days at least shall intervene between each such deliberation. ART. 77. When a measure passed by the Odelsthing is approved by the Lagthing or by the united Storthing it shall be sent to the King with a request for his approval. ART. 78. If the King approves the measure he shall affix his signature thereto, whereby it becomes law. If he does not assent to it he shall return it to the Odelsthing with a statement that he does not at the time think proper to approve it. In this case the measure shall not again be submitted to the King by the Storthing then in session. ART. 79. If a measure has been passed without change by three regular Storthings convened after three separate successive elections, and separated from each other by at least two intervening regular sessions, without any conflicting action having in the meantime been taken in any session between its first and last passage, and is then presented to the King with the request that his majesty will not refuse his approval to a measure which the Storthing, after the most mature deliberation, considers beneficial, such measure shall become law even though the King fails to approve it before the adjournment of the Storthing. ART. 80. The Storthing shall remain in session as long as it considers proper, but not beyond two months without the King's consent. When, having finished its business or having been in session for the appointed time, it is adjourned by the King, he shall signify his action upon the measures not already disposed of, either by approving or rejecting them. All measures which he does not expressly approve shall be considered rejected. ART. 81. All laws shall be promulgated in the Norwegian language and (with the exception of those referred to in Art. 79) in the King's name, under the seal of the kingdom of Norway, and in the following terms: "We, N. N., make it publicly known that the following act of the Storthing of such a date has been presented to us in the following terms: (here follows the act), which act we have assented to and approved and do hereby assent to and approve as law, under our hand and the seal of the state." ART. 82. The approval of the King is not required for resolutions of the Storthing, by which: a) It declares itself assembled as Storthing, in accordance with the constitution. b) It determines its own rules of procedure. c) It approves or rejects the credentials of the members present. d) It affirms or reverses decisions in election controversies. e) It naturalizes foreigners. f) And finally, the action by which the Odelsthing impeaches councilors of state or others. ART. 83. The Storthing may procure the opinion of the Supreme Court upon questions of law. ART. 84. The Storthing shall sit in public session, and its proceedings shall be printed and published, except in the cases where a majority decides to the contrary. ART. 85. Whoever obeys an order the purpose of which is to disturb the liberty and safety of the Storthing, is thereby guilty of treason against his country. D. THE JUDICIAL POWER ART. 86. The members of the Lagthing together with the Supreme Court shall constitute the Court of Impeachment (Rigsret), which shall try, without appeal, cases instituted by the Odelsthing against members of the Council of State or of the Supreme Court for misconduct in office, or against members of the Storthing for offenses committed by them in their official capacity. The president of the Lagthing shall preside in the Court of Impeachment. ART. 87. The accused may, without assigning any reason therefor, challenge as many as one-third of the members of the Court of Impeachment, provided however, that the court shall not consist of less than fifteen persons. ART. 88. The Supreme Court shall be the court of last resort. It shall consist of not less than one chief justice and six associates. This article shall not prevent the final disposal of criminal cases, in accordance with law, without the co-operation of the Supreme Court. ART. 89. In time of peace the Supreme Court, with two military officers of high rank designated by the King, shall be a court of appeal and of last instance in all military cases which involve life, honor, or loss of liberty for a longer period than three months. |