OSLO, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Norway's parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favour of maintaining the country's monarchy, rejecting a proposed change to a republic, despite recent turmoil in the king's family and an opinion poll showing a dip in popular support for the royals.
In the long-planned vote, 141 of parliament's 169 members supported the continuation of the monarchy, while 26 members cast ballots in favour of ending the reign of King Harald and his descendants, according to the official tally.
Supporters of the monarchy say the institution brings stability by being above partisan politics and that it has served Norway well since independence from Sweden in 1905.
Republican proponents argue that political power already rests with Norway's elected parliament and the government, adding that the inherited privilege of the royals does not belong in a democratic society.
"The sponsors seek to amend the constitution so that Norway's head of state is elected by the people, that is, a president," read the now-failed proposal from a group of seven members of parliament representing parties from across the political spectrum.
EPSTEIN APOLOGY
Still, Crown Princess Mette-Marit was criticised by the prime minister on Monday who said she had displayed poor judgement in having contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, following fresh reports of her ties with the late U.S. sex offender.
On Saturday, Mette-Marit, the spouse of the heir to the throne, Haakon, apologised for the contact, which occurred in the years after Epstein was found guilty of child sex crimes in 2008.
An opinion poll conducted on Monday for Norwegian daily Verdens Gang found that 61% of Norwegians favour keeping their royals in place, down from 72% last year, while support for a republic rose 10 percentage points to 27%, the survey released on Tuesday showed.
Asked whether Mette-Marit should become Norway's next queen, 44% said no while only 33% said yes, while the rest did not express an opinion, the survey of 1,014 respondents by polling institute InFact showed.
Separately on Tuesday, Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship, Marius Hoiby, 29, went on trial. He has been accused of rape, domestic violence, assault and drug possession. He was arrested again at the weekend on suspicion of further crimes.
Hoiby has denied the most serious accusations against him, including those of rape and domestic violence, while admitting to some lesser charges.
(Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
