Lars Korvald

Lars Korvald
Prime Minister of Norway
In office 17 October 1972 – 12 October 1973
Monarch	Olav V
Preceded by	Trygve Bratteli
Succeeded by	Trygve Bratteli
Personal details
Born	(1916-04-29)29 April 1916 Mjøndalen, Nedre Eiker
Died	4 July 2006(2006-07-04) (aged 90) Mjøndalen, Nedre Eiker
Political party	Christian Democratic Party
Signature

(29 April 1916 – 4 July 2006) was a Norwegian politician from the Christian Democratic Party. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 1972 to 1973, leading the cabinet that took over when Trygve Bratteli resigned in the wake of the first referendum over Norway's membership in the European Economic Community.

Early life and career

Lars Korvald was born into a traditional Christian family in Mjøndalen in the municipality of Nedre Eiker. He attended the Norwegian College of Agriculture, graduating in 1943. He started out at the faculty of Tomb agrarian college in Råde, where he rose to become dean in 1952.

Parliamentary career

He was first elected to the Norwegian parliament in 1961 representing the county of Østfold. In 1965, he was appointed parliamentary leader; and in 1967 the party leader. Altogether, Korvald served as a member of parliament for five periods. He was President of the Lagting 1969–1972. In 1981, he retired from party politics and became county mayor of Østfold.

Prime minister

Korvald's cabinet served from 18 October 1972 to 16 October 1973. Though short-lived, it served as an important milestone in Norwegian politics, both because it marked the conclusion of the bitter and divisive debate over Norway's membership in the European Union, and because it was a centrist non-socialist coalition. He was also the first prime minister from his party. Korvald also proved to be an effective prime minister in a very difficult and transitional political situation. His cabinet commissioned the negotiations for a trade treaty with the European Union and instituted Norway's first petroleum policy.

It was also Korvald who introduced Kjell Magne Bondevik into the national scene by appointing him political secretary to the prime minister's office.

External links

• AP: "Former Norway prime minister Korvald dies" (in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 4 July 2006)