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Jens Stoltenberg
Prime Minister of Norway
Incumbent
Assumed office  2000 – 2001 2005 – present
Preceded by	Kjell Magne Bondevik
Born	March 16, 1959 Norway
Political party	Norwegian Labour Party
Spouse	Ingrid Schulerud

Jens Stoltenberg (help·info) (born March 16, 1959) is a Norwegian economist, leader (since 2002) of the Norwegian Labour Party and the current 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 September 10, 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 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. 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 elite 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 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).

He is a big fan of the HBO drama serie The Sopranos. 1

Contents 1 Jens Stoltenberg's First Cabinet 2 Jens Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet 3 References 4 External links

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

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

Political offices
Preceded by Finn Kristensen	Norwegian Minister of Trade and Energy 1993–1996	Succeeded by Grete Knudsen
Preceded by Sigbjørn Johnsen	Norwegian Minister of Finance and Customs 1996–1997	Succeeded by Gudmund Restad
Preceded by Kjell Magne Bondevik	Prime Minister of Norway 2000–2001	Succeeded by Kjell Magne Bondevik
Preceded by Torbjørn Jagland	Leader of the Norwegian Labour Party 2002 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by Kjell Magne Bondevik	Prime Minister of Norway 2005 – present	Incumbent

Heads of government of Norway

First Ministers, 1814-1873: Haxthausen • Rosenkrantz • Sommerhielm • Collett • Krog • Vogt • Petersen • F. Stang Prime Ministers, 1873-1905: F. Stang • Selmer • Schweigaard • Sverdrup • E. Stang • Steen • E. Stang • Hagerup • Steen • Blehr • Hagerup Prime Ministers, 1905-: Michelsen • Løvland • Knudsen • Konow • Bratlie • Knudsen • Halvorsen • Blehr • Halvorsen • Berge • Mowinckel • Lykke • Hornsrud • Mowinckel • Kolstad • Hundseid • Mowinckel • Nygaardsvold (in exile 1940-45) • Gerhardsen • Torp • Gerhardsen • Lyng • Gerhardsen • Borten • Bratteli • Korvald • Bratteli • Nordli • Brundtland • Willoch • Brundtland • Syse • Brundtland • Jagland • Bondevik • Stoltenberg • Bondevik • Stoltenberg

• Johansen, Marianne (Norwegian) Krever svar om Regjeringens bilordning Aftenposten, May 3, 2006, retrieved November 8, 2006.

• List of Norwegian ministries from Odin