Norway’s Nuclear Line
An old promise faced a constitutional test in Norway’s parliament on Tuesday, exposing a divide over how firmly to bind future governments.
The Storting, Norway’s parliament, rejected a proposal on Tuesday November 3 to place a nuclear-weapons ban in the country’s constitution. The amendment received 24 votes in favor and 141 against, according to parliament’s official voting records.
The decision leaves Norway’s longstanding peacetime restrictions in place. Supporters of the amendment wanted future governments bound by the country’s highest law. The majority argued that the existing political commitment was sufficient.
Norway belongs to NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, whose defense strategy includes nuclear deterrence. Membership has coexisted with national restrictions on nuclear weapons at home.
The alliance describes nuclear weapons as a core component of its defense, while also committing to arms control and disarmament.
