Governor of Svalbard

Governor of Svalbard
Sysselmesteren på Svalbard
Logo of the Governor of Svalbard
Incumbent
Lars Fause
since 24 June 2021 (2021-06-24)
AppointerMinistry of Justice
Term lengthThree years, renewable once[1]
Inaugural holderJohannes Gerckens Bassøe
Formation17 July 1925; 99 years ago (1925-07-17)
Websitewww.sysselmesteren.no
Politics of Svalbard
See also
Politics of Norway
Offices and residence of Sysselmesteren

The governor of Svalbard (Norwegian: Sysselmesteren på Svalbard) represents the Norwegian government in exercising its sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago (Spitsbergen).[2]

The position reports to the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, but it maintains all Norwegian interests in the area, including environmental protection, law enforcement, representation, mediation, and civil matters, such as marriage and divorce.[3] An important part of the position is maintaining good working relations with the Russian community in Barentsburg.

To this end, the governor's organization consists of:[4]

  • a staff section with Russian interpreters and advisors on legal matters, tourism, etc.
  • a section for law enforcement
  • a section for environmental protection
  • an administrative section, including archiving, financial management and IT support

The governor's office also has at its disposition several helicopters, snowmobiles, speedboats, and other equipment needed to meet its responsibilities. The office's annual budget is determined by the Storting and runs at about NOK 60 million, of which the largest part is used for transportation.

The position was previously called Sysselmann in Norwegian until 1 July 2021, when it was changed to Sysselmester. This was part of a wider decision by the Solberg government to replace gender-specific governmental titles in Norway with gender-neutral terms.[5][6]

  1. ^ "New Governor Appointed for Svalbard". polarjournal.com. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  2. ^ "About Governor the Svalbard". sysselmesteren.no. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  3. ^ "The Governor's Tasks". sysselmesteren.no. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  4. ^ "The Governor of Svalbard Informational Booklet" (PDF). sysselmesteren.no. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Innstilling fra utenriks- og forsvarskomiteen om Endringer i Svalbardloven m.m. (endret navn på Sysselmannen)". Stortinget (in Norwegian). 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  6. ^ "Sexless 'State' Government: Language Council recommends Sysselmannen ('governor') be renamed Svalbard Syssel ('country subdivision') to meet gender-neutral requirement". Ice People. 2020-11-13. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2024-10-31.