On August 12, 1905, Norway abolished the alliance with Sweden through a referendum. In a national referendum, 36,8208 voted to abolish the alliance, with only 184 votes expressing hope that the alliance would continue to exist. The alliance dates back to the 1814 Treaty of Kiel, which placed Norway under Swedish sovereignty. Norway refused to accept the treaty. Therefore, the relationship between the two countries has been quite tense, and when the king recently refused to approve a parliamentary proposal for the establishment of a Norwegian unilateral consular body, the government isolated him by collective resignation. This paved the way for parliament to abolish the alliance with Sweden in June, and yesterday¡¯s referendum further confirmed the move was correct.