Svalbard: Government#
Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitsbergen, the largest island in the archipelago) etymology: 12th century Norse accounts speak of the discovery of a "Svalbard" - literally "cold shores" - but they may have referred to Jan Mayen island or eastern Greenland; the archipelago was traditionally known as Spitsbergen, but Norway renamed it Svalbard in the 1920s when it assumed sovereignty of the islands |
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Dependency status | territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was awarded to Norway |
Government type | |
Capital | Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen
geographic coordinates: 78 13 N, 15 38 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Independence | none (territory of Norway) |
Legal system | the laws of Norway where applicable apply; only the laws of Norway made explicitly applicable to Svalbard have effect there; the Svalbard Act and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act, and certain regulations, apply only to Svalbard; the Spitsbergen Treaty and the Svalbard Treaty grants certain rights to citizens and corporations of signatory nations |
Citizenship | see Norway |
Executive branch | chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991) head of government: Governor Kjerstin ASKHOLT (since 1 October 2015); Assistant Governor Lars Erik ALHEIM elections/appointments: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor and assistant governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice |
Legislative branch | description: unicameral Longyearbyen Community Council (15 seats; members elected by direct vote to serve four-year-terms) elections: last held on 6 October 2015 (next to be held October 2019) election results: seats by party - Conservatives 5, Green Party 2, Labor Party 5, Liberals 3 note: the Council's main responsibilities are infrastructure and utilities, including power, land-use and community planning, education, and child welfare; however, healthcare services are provided by the state |
Judicial branch | highest court(s): none; note - Svalbard is subordinate to Norway's Nord-Troms District Court and Halogaland Court of Appeal, both located in Tromso |
Political parties and leaders | Svalbard Conservative Party (Kjetil FIGENSCHOO); Svalbard Green Party (Espen Klungseth ROTEVATN); Svalbard Labor Party (Arid OLSEN); Svalbard Liberal Party (Erik BERGER) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA |
International organization participation | none |
Flag description | the flag of Norway is used |
National anthem | note: as a territory of Norway, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" is official (see Norway) |