Since 1963, the County mayor (Norwegian: fylkesordfører) of Nordland is the political leader of the county and the chairperson of the county council. Prior to 1963, the County governor led the council which was made up of all of the mayors of the rural municipalities within the county.[2] Here is a list of people who have held this position:[3]
The county council (Norwegian: Fylkestinget) is made up of 45 representatives that are elected by direct election by all legal residents every fourth year. The council essentially acts as a Parliament or legislative body for the county. The county council typically meets about six times a year. The council follows a parliamentary system and has a county cabinet (Norwegian: Fylkesrådet) which functions as the head of the executive branch of the county municipality's duties. The cabinet is led by the Chairman of the County Cabinet (fylkesrådsleder). The head if the administration is the County Executive (fylkesrådmann). The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.[1]
Note: Prior to this election, the county councils were not directly elected. Instead, members were chosen by each municipal council within the county - oftentimes it was the municipal mayors who were selected to be on the county council.