Jens Stoltenberg

Jens Stoltenberg
Preceded by	Kjell Magne Bondevik (2000 and 2005)
Succeeded by	Kjell Magne Bondevik (2001); incumbent
Personal details
Nationality	Norwegian
Political party	Norwegian Labour Party

Jens Stoltenberg (born March 16, 1959) is a Norwegian economist, leader of the Norwegian Labour Party and the current Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway.

He is generally considered to be politically to the right of his party. Before becoming the leader of the Norwegian Labour Party in 2002, Stoltenberg was the leader of the AUF, between 1985 and 1989. He was also the leader of the Oslo Labour Party 1990 and 1992. In 1992 he was party leader Gro Harlem Brundtland's favourite to succeed her, but lost to Thorbjørn Jagland.

He was junior minister (statssekretær) in the Department of the Environment 1990-1991, Minister of Industry 1993-1996, and Minister of Finance 1996-1997. His first tenure as Prime Minister (2000 to 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 elections of September 10 2001 the party suffered one of its worst results ever with only 24% of the votes. The disastrous results of 2001 were quickly followed by a bitter leadership-battle between Jagland and Stoltenberg, with Stoltenberg winning the party leadership.

The 2005 parliamentary elections 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 October 17 2005.

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. 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. He belongs to a family which in the 17th century emigrated to mainland 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).

Jens Stoltenberg's 2005 Cabinet

• Prime Minister: Jens Stoltenberg (Ap)
• Minister of Foreign Affairs: Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap)
• Minister of Finance: Kristin Halvorsen (Sv).
• Minister of Local Affairs and regional Development: Åslaug Haga (Sp).
• Minister of Culture and Church Affairs: Trond Giske (Ap)
• Minister of Consumer and Equality Affairs: Karita Bekkemellem (Ap)
• Minister of Health and Care Services: Sylvia Brustad (Ap)
• Minister of Justice: Knut Storberget (Ap)
• Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs: Helga Pedersen (Ap)
• Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: Bjarne Håkon Hanssen (Ap)
• Minister of Defence: Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen (Ap)
• Minister of Trade and Industry: Odd Eriksen (Ap)
• Minister of Knowledge and Childhood Affairs: Øystein Djupedal (Sv)
• Minister of Development: Erik Solheim (Sv)
• Minister of the Environment: Helen Bjørnøy (Sv)
• Minister of Transport and Communications: Liv Signe Navarsete (Sp)
• Minister of food and Agriculture: Terje Riis Johansen (Sp)
• Minister of Oil and Energy: Odd Roger Enoksen (Sp)
• Minister of Renewal: Heidi Grande Røys (Sv)

Jens Stoltenberg was sentenced to 3 years in prison for raping a 16 year old boy in 1998. The people elected him because they thought he was a "man of the people" and not any other politician. The boy has later confessed his love for Stoltenberg, but Stoltenberg himself has resently found himself another lover.