| Post: | Governor |
| Body: | Svalbard |
| Insignia: | Coat of arms of the Governor of Svalbard.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 100px |
| Insigniacaption: | Logo of the Governor of Svalbard |
| Native Name: | Sysselmesteren på Svalbard |
| Incumbent: | Lars Fause |
| Appointer: | Ministry of Justice |
| Termlength: | Three years, renewable once[1] |
| Inaugural: | Johannes Gerckens Bassøe |
The governor of Svalbard (no|[[Sysselmann|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]
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]
| Name | Term began | Term ended | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannes Gerckens Bassøe | 1925 | 1933 | |
| Helge Ingstad (acting) | 1933 | 1935 | |
| Wolmar Tycho Marlow | 1935 | 1941 | |
| Vacant | 1941 | 1945 | |
| Håkon Balstad | 1945 | 1956 | |
| Odd Birketvedt | 1956 | 1960 | |
| Finn Backer Midtbøe | 1960 | 1963 | |
| Tollef Landsverk | 1963 | 1967 | |
| Stephen Stephensen | 1967 | 1970 | |
| Fredrik Beichmann | 1970 | 1974 | |
| Leif Eldring | 1974 | 1978 | |
| Jan Grøndahl | 1978 | 1982 | |
| Carl Alexander Wendt | 1982 | 1985 | |
| Leif Eldring | 1985 | 1991 | |
| Odd Blomdal | 1991 | 1995 | |
| Ann-Kristin Olsen | 1995 | 1998 | |
| Morten Ruud | 1998 | 2001 | |
| Odd Olsen Ingerø | 2001 | 2005 | |
| Sven Ole Fagernæs (acting) | 2005 | 2005 | |
| Per Sefland | 2005 | 2009 | |
| Odd Olsen Ingerø | 2009 | 2015 | |
| Kjerstin Askholt | 2015 | 2021 | |
| Lars Fause[7] | 2021 | Incumbent |