All edicts of the executive, all decisions of the court, and all
resolutions of the legislature are proclaimed in the king's name, but
the ministry is responsible to the legislature for the acts of the
king, and if they are not approved, as in England, the ministry must
resign and a new one be organized in sympathy with a majority of the
parliament. The king may choose his own ministers, but they must
represent the will of the people. They are called counsellors of
state, are eight in number. Before the disunion, two of these eight
counsellors were without portfolios, and resided alternately at
Stockholm, while the other members presided over six executive
departments in Christiania.

A record is kept of the meetings of the ministry by a permanent
secretary, and the constitution requires that each minister shall
express his opinion upon all questions brought up for consideration.
He who remains silent is counted in the affirmative. No matter of
business can be determined by the king without the advice of the
ministry, unless an emergency demands a prompt decision, when he must
take the responsibility of securing a ratification of his act. In the
same manner the king may issue edicts of a provisional character in
matters of commerce, finance, industrial activity, customs dues,
police and military affairs during a recess of the parliament, subject
to its approval within a limited time after reassembling.

The minister may act in the king's name in cases of emergency or
during his absence from the country, subject to his approval.
These conditions were adopted in earlier times, when the Norwegian
legislature sat only once in three years and some such power was
necessary, but now that there are annual and often semi-annual
sessions, and they have a king of their own residing always in Norway,