Kåre Kristiansen
Kåre Kristiansen | |
|---|---|
Kristiansen in Nesodden in 2004 | |
| Minister of Petroleum and Energy | |
| In office 8 June 1983 – 9 May 1986 | |
| Prime Minister | Kåre Willoch |
| Preceded by | Vidkunn Hveding |
| Succeeded by | Arne Øien |
| Leader of the Christian Democratic Party | |
| In office 1975–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Lars Korvald |
| Succeeded by | Lars Korvald |
| In office 1979 – 16 April 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Lars Korvald |
| Succeeded by | Kjell Magne Bondevik |
| State Secretary for the Ministry of Social Affairs | |
| In office 15 October 1965 – 31 December 1968 | |
| Prime Minister | Per Borten |
| Minister | Egil Aarvik |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kåre Gudbrand Kristiansen 11 March 1920 Bergen, Norway |
| Died | 3 December 2005 (aged 85) Nesodden, Norway |
| Political party | Christian Democratic |
Kåre Gulbrand Kristiansen (11 March 1920 – 3 December 2005) was a Norwegian politician who was the leader of the Christian Democratic Party from 1975 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1983, and Minister of Petroleum and Energy from 1983 to 1986.[1] Noted as a right-wing conservative within his own party, he was known to take controversial positions at odds with the prevailing consensus.[2]
Biography
Kristiansen was born in Bergen, the son of a lay preacher.[1] Both his parents were active in the Salvation Army. He started his professional life as a telegraph operator in the Norwegian railroad system, where he rose through the ranks. A devout Christian all his life, he became politically active in his home community of Nesodden in 1951.
Kristiansen was appointed State Secretary in the Ministry of Social Affairs in 1965 and served in this capacity until 1968.[1] He was elected to Storting, first as a deputy member in 1969 and as a full member from 1973 to 1977 and 1981 to 1989.[1] He was chairman in the parliamentary foreign affairs committee from 1981 to 1983 and Minister of Petroleum and Energy from 1983 to 1986.
He served as chairman for the Christian Democratic Party from 1975 to 1977 and 1979 to 1983.[1] As a result of an internal dispute about how to cooperate with the Conservative Party, he resigned from the chair of his party and instead became parliamentary leader.[1]
He stepped down from national politics in 1989 in protest against what he perceived as a change in course in the party's policy, but he remained politically active all his life, among other things by rejoining the municipal council of Nesodden, where he had started his political career.
Kristiansen stood his ground on a number of political issues, and his prominence within his party and in politics in general varied accordingly. He was particularly noted as one of the most ardent anti-abortion politicians in Norway.[1] He was also a proponent of Norwegian membership in the European Union, advocated strong collaborative efforts with the Conservative Party and even the Progress Party. He was a strong supporter of Israel, and founded and became the first leader of Friends of Israel in the Parliament of Norway in 1974.[3]
In 1994, he resigned from the Norwegian Nobel Committee in protest over the award of the prize to Yasser Arafat, whom he labeled "world's most prominent terrorist".[2] He opposed Israel's unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip in 2005, to the point of refusing an invitation to join in an event of Hjelp Jødene Hjem, a Norwegian Zionist organisation which he was a board member of, because it also featured moderate Israeli politician and chief rabbi of Norway, Michael Melchior.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Kåre Kristiansen". Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). 2005. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Kåre Kristiansen er død". NRK (in Norwegian). NTB. 3 December 2005.
- ^ Magnus, Ingunn (15 August 2006). "Nesten bare FrP og KrF i Israels Venner". Norge Idag (in Norwegian).
Israels Venner har alltid vært løst organisert, uten detaljerte vedtekter og medlemsavgift, men med to-tre foredrag eller andre arrangementer i løpet av et høst- eller vårhalvår. Foreningen ble konstituert i 1974 med KrFs Kåre Kristiansen som leder og Paul Thyness fra Høyre som nestleder.
- ^ Sandnes, Svein Villy (18 August 2005). "Trakk seg fra 15-års markering til Hjelp Jødene Hjem". Norge Idag (in Norwegian).
External links
- "Kåre Kristiansen" (in Norwegian). Storting.