Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday 

Norwegian state budget

At 10:00am, the Norwegian state budget for 2022 will be revealed. Some key proposals have already been unveiled. 

Among them is the news that the use of oil money will be cut, and overall planned spending will be 84.4 billion less than the budget for 2021. 

The reason for the reduced spending and use of the oil fund will be because many Covid financial support packages will be ended. 

EXPLAINED: Why is Norway such a wealthy nation?

As a principle, governments in Norway must not spend more than 3 percent of the oil fund each year. This year the government has said it will use 2.6 percent of the fund.

We'll have all the info on what the proposed state budget for 2022 means for you later today. 

Erna Solberg to resign

After two terms and eight years as prime minister, Erna Solberg will tender her resignation to the king after the state budget. 

As is the tradition in Norway, the cabinet will also resign after the state budget is presented.

Bergen native Solberg has not ruled out running in the 2025 general election but also warned she could step down as Conservative Party leader at any moment if she felt unfit for the job. 

Speculation surrounding top cabinet jobs

Now that the Labour Party and Centre Party have agreed to form a minority coalition government, speculation is mounting over who will take over some of the top cabinet positions. 

Last night several sources close to the new government told public broadcaster NRK that Centre Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum would bag the job of finance minister. 

On Monday night, newspaper VG reported that sources had informed them that Labour MP Ingvild Kjerkol would be named health minister. Kjerkol is already the party’s health and social policy spokesperson. 

Yesterday afternoon Støre said that the cabinet is almost ready, and he has received a number of yes’s from MP’s sounded out over government roles. 

478 new Covid-19 cases in Norway

On Monday, 478 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Norway. This is six fewer than the same day last week but 47 more than the seven-day average. 

In the Norwegian capital of Oslo, 179 new infections have been recorded. This is 47 more than the same day last week and 102 more than the day before. In Oslo, an average of 150 infections have been registered per day. 

Total number of Covid-19 cases in Norway. Source: Norwegian Institute of Public Health.