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Norway’s parliament votes to maintain monarchy

As many as 141 of parliament's 169 members supported the continuation of the monarchy

LONDON, February 3. /TASS/. Norway's parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of maintaining the country's monarchy amid reports of the royal family’s ties to notorious US financier Jeffrey Epstein, Reuters reported.

As many as 141 of parliament's 169 members supported the continuation of the monarchy, while 26 lawmakers cast their ballots in favor of ending the reign of King Harald and his descendants.

Supporters of the monarchy say it brings stability by being above partisan politics, while their opponents argue that political power already rests with Norway's parliament and government, adding that the inherited privilege of the royals does not belong in a democratic society.

The VG newspaper reported earlier that Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit was mentioned in the Epstein case files over 1,000 times. According to the paper, the new documents released by the US Department of Justice give details of Mette-Marit’s relations with Epstein. As many as 47.6% of Norwegians surveyed in a Verian poll said they did not want the crown princess to become queen.

On January 30, the US Department of Justice completed the release of over three million pages, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, in the case of Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sexual offences, including against children. The files mention the names of dozens of members of royal families, entrepreneurs, diplomats, and researchers from various countries. Epstein’s circle of acquaintances particularly included the 42nd US President, Bill Clinton, and current US leader Donald Trump.

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