The Norwegian Law ( he, החוק הנורווגי, ''HaḤok HaNorvegi''), initially Mini-Norwegian Law ( he, החוק הנורווגי הקטן) for its first version, is a name given to an amendment to the
Basic Law: The Knesset, one of the
Basic Laws of Israel
The Basic Laws of Israel ( he, , Ḥukey HaYesod) are thirteen constitutional laws of the State of Israel, and some of them can only be changed by a supermajority vote in the Knesset (with varying requirements for different Basic Laws and section ...
. It affects the appointment of ministers and members of the
Knesset
The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
. The amendment allows ministers or deputy ministers to resign from the Knesset but remain a minister, with their Knesset seat taken by the next person on the party's
list
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
. If the person who resigned leaves the cabinet, they are able to return to the Knesset in place of their replacement. The law initially limited each party to one resignation and replacement.
The legislation became commonly known as the 'Norwegian Law' due to a similar system being in place in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
.
The amendment was approved by the Knesset by a vote of 64–51 on 30 July 2015.
An expanded version of the law, which allowed all ministers to resign and be replaced, was passed on 15 June 2020 by a vote of 66–43.
See also
*
Ministerial by-elections
A ministerial by-election is a by-election to fill a vacancy triggered by the appointment of the sitting member of parliament (MP) as a minister in the cabinet. The requirement for new ministers to stand for re-election was introduced in the Ho ...
*
Dualism (politics)
Dualism in terms of politics, refers to specific political concepts that are related to functional or structural duality of a particular political system. In some states, functional dualism is manifested through the division of power between tw ...
*
Replacements during the twentieth Knesset
*
Replacements during the twenty-third Knesset
*
Replacements during the twenty-fourth Knesset
References
{{reflist
Israeli laws
2015 in law
2015 in Israel
20th Knesset (2015–2019)
Politics of Israel