Jens Stoltenberg

Infobox Prime Minister
name = Jens Stoltenberg

|200px
order = Prime Minister of Norway
monarch = Harald V
term_start = 17 October 2005
term_end =
predecessor = Kjell Magne Bondevik
successor =
monarch2 = Harald V
term_start2 = 03 March 2000
term_end2 = 19 October 2001
predecessor2 = Kjell Magne Bondevik
successor2 = Kjell Magne Bondevik
birth_date = birth date and age|1959|03|16|df=y
birth_place = Oslo, Norway
death_date =
death_place =
spouse = Ingrid Schulerud
party = DNA
profession = EconomistAudio|Jens Stoltenberg.ogg|Jens Stoltenberg (born 16 March 1959) is the Prime Minister of Norway. He took office in October of 2005; he was previously Prime Minister from 2000 to 2001. He has also been the leader of the Norwegian Labour Party since 2002. He has been a Member of Parliament from Oslo since 1993.

Jens Stoltenberg has attended the Bilderberg meetings.

Jens Stoltenberg First Cabinet

Stoltenberg's first cabinet governed Norway from 17 March 2000 to 19 October 2001. See "First cabinet Stoltenberg" for its composition.

Jens Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet

Stoltenberg's second cabinet has governed Norway since 17 October 2005. See "Second cabinet Stoltenberg" for its composition.

Political career

Stoltenberg was the leader of the Workers' Youth League between 1985 and 1989 and the Oslo chapter of the Labour Party between 1990 and 1992. He was deputy minister ("statssekretær") in the Department of the Environment from 1990 to 1991, Minister of Industry from 1993 to 1996, and Minister of Finance from 1996 to 1997. His first tenure as Prime Minister (2000–2001) was controversial within his own party, being responsible for reforms and modernisation of the welfare state that included part-privatising several key state-owned services and corporations. In the parliamentary election of 10 September 2001, the party suffered one of its worst results ever, winning only 24% of the vote. The disastrous results of 2001 were quickly followed by a bitter leadership battle between Thorbjørn Jagland and Stoltenberg, with Stoltenberg winning the party leadership.

The 2005 parliamentary election saw a vast improvement for Labour, and the party gained a majority in parliament together with the other "Red-Green" parties, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party. This paved the way for a historic first in Norway, with Labour joining in a coalition government, the Red-Green Coalition. Stoltenberg became Prime Minister for the second time on 17 October 2005. Since the election Stoltenberg’s cabinet has been hit by some scandals, and the Government has been far behind the opposition in most opinion polls. However, Mr. Stoltenberg's personal approval ratings have remained high throughout the term. The next General Election is due in September 2009.

Personal life

Stoltenberg grew up in a political family. His father, Thorvald Stoltenberg, is one of the most prominent politicians in Norway and a former Foreign Minister; his mother Karin Stoltenberg was a junior minister. The late Marianne Heiberg, married to former Foreign Minister Johan Jørgen Holst, was his mother's sister. Stoltenberg is married to the diplomat Ingrid Schulerud and has two children. He was raised in the Waldorf Education system as formulated by Rudolf Steiner, and educated at the Oslo katedralskole and the University of Oslo. He likes to spend his summer vacations on the Hvaler Islands in the Oslo fjord.

He belongs to a family which in the 17th century emigrated to Norway, from the North German village of Stoltenberg in Schleswig-Holstein (the Duchies were then in a personal union with the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway).

Trivia

Stoltenberg has revealed in several interviews that he enjoys playing computer strategy games, also online. Among his favourite games are "Age of Empires", ' and '. He prefers watching television shows on DVD and is a big fan of "The Sopranos" and "The Wire". [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/magasinet/2008/04/07/531582.html Portrait Interview revealing love for computer games and tv shows] . "Dagbladet"]

Notes

References

*Johansen, Marianne no icon [http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=304004 Krever svar om Regjeringens bilordning] "Aftenposten", 3 May 2006, retrieved 8 November 2006.

External links

* [http://odin.dep.no/odin/global/depliste-en/bn.html List of Norwegian ministries] from [http://odin.dep.no/odin/english/ Odin]