fylkestingsvalg

Fylkestingsvalg refers to the elections for the fylkestinget, the county council in a Norwegian fylke. The fylkestinget is the regional legislative body responsible for tasks that are regional in scope and not handled by the municipality or the state, such as upper secondary education, county roads and public transport, cultural affairs, libraries, and regional development.

Voters elect representatives from party lists. Seats are allocated to parties within the county on the basis of proportional representation. Parties form coalitions to govern, and the fylkestinget elects a county executive (fylkesutvalg) and a county mayor (fylkesordfører).

Elections are held every four years, on the same day as municipal elections. The results determine the composition of the county council for the following four-year period.

Background and scope: the fylkestingsvalget is the mechanism by which residents influence regional government. In recent decades Norway has undergone regional reform, with mergers and reorganization of counties, but fylkestingsvalg continue to elect the county councils for the new administrative units and their regional responsibilities.