Portal:Norway/Selected biography/8

Jens Stoltenberg (born 16 March 1959) is a Norwegian economist, leader (since 2002) of the Norwegian Labour Party and the former Prime Minister of Norway. 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 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 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 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 17 October 2005. (Full article...)