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PROXY: SV leader Audun Solbakken wants Erna Solberg to come to the Storting with urgent emergency measures to ensure they have the support of the majority. Photo: Tore Kristiansen
The Solberg government had the legal authority to close large parts of Norway without obtaining support in the Storting. But now the SV wants to limit authorizations and demand parliamentary treatment if it becomes relevant again.
– These were the most radical measures of our time: entire schools and industries were closed. That day, Norway stopped, SV leader Audun Lysbakken says, and returns to Thursday, March 12.
This was the day that Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) announced that “the measures will have a great impact on our personal freedom.”
Only eight weeks ago, but now the debate comes over whether the government should really have that much power at the expense of the Storting. Lysbakken and SV will propose amendments to the Infection Protection Act next week to limit government authorizations:
– The proposal is not a criticism that the government closed Norway. But it is an attempt to learn from this crisis, Lysbakken tells VG.
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To Parliament immediately
The SV leader envisions a system by which the government still has the authority to make radical decisions, but must immediately refer the matter to the Storting for formal consideration.
In accordance with the provisions of section 4-1 of the Contingency Protection Act, the Health Department is authorized to prohibit and close “in the event of a serious outbreak of a dangerous infectious disease”.
– The system as it works today works well for a short-term crisis, but not for a crisis that can last for two years. The government needs to have powers to act quickly to protect the population from
infection, but needless for government power to be so limited, says Lysbakken.
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Anchored by majority
The SV maintains that Storting must be involved in cases where the fundamental rights of individuals, such as the right to school and the right to work, are out of order.
– In such big and serious decisions, it is important that they are rooted in the majority. The usual principles of openness and debate must apply in times of crisis, and the Storting must also be able to intervene with the government, says the SV leader.
He refers to the debate over the crown law, but says that the infection control law is much broader and more far-reaching.
– The way the Infection Protection Act is designed, you could close schools and introduce quarantine rules without consulting the Storting, says Lysbakken.
CRISELOV MEETING: Right-wing and KrF parliamentary leaders Trond Helleland and Hans Fredrik Grøvan on their way to a meeting with Prime Minister Erna Solberg in March. Photo: Frode Hansen
Party leaders talk together
Trond Helleland, the right-wing parliamentary leader, does not reject a debate on infection control authorizations, but does not agree with the SV on the need for changes now.
– The authorizations granted by the Storting to the Government in the Infection Prevention Law in 2019 have proven to work very well. Such powers must have a government to act quickly, but each government understands that you have a problem if you act against the majority, Helleland tells VG.
He says that Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) has frequent contact with her fellow party leaders in the Storting:
– In Norway, party leaders can speak together, unlike in the United States. This trust-based system works well. I’m not sure if this is a good time to hold hearings, send questions back and forth, and have great discussions when the majority is given. But in the current situation with a minority government, the majority can issue the government if you think you are on wild roads, Helleland says.
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Sweden and Denmark
The SV has examined how the governments of Sweden and Denmark should include Parliament in the council for crown decisions:
** Under Swedish infection control legislation, the government must immediately submit a proposal for rapid treatment in the Riksdag immediately after a decision.
** In Denmark, the government recently invited the other parties to negotiate how the company should reopen. What the parties agree on is decided by the government, so it is not formally seen by parliament.
– Naturally, there was little room for debate and disagreement during the first few weeks with strict measures. But now, Storting works almost normally and the media is fully capable of debating. There is no reason why elected officials should be kept on the sidelines. When we also see that the government does not follow all the professional advice it receives, the time has come to normalize political control, says Lysbakken.
