Kjell Magne Bondevik (born September 3, 1947) is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him Norway's longest serving non-Socialist Prime Minister since World War II.
Bondevik's first term as prime minister lasted from October 17, 1997 to March 3, 2000, in a coalition consisting of the Christian Democratic Party, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party.
His cabinet during his second period in office, a coalition between the Christian People's Party, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party, was appointed October 19, 2001, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg.
However, Bondevik was defeated in the 2005 parliamentary election, with 81 seats obtained for Bondevik's coalition and its supporters to the opposition Red-Green Coalition's 88.
Bondevik announced his retirement from national-level politics at the end of his term as prime minister and did not seek reelection for his seat in parliament.
Bondevik was born in Molde, Norway. He became a theological candidate from the Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology (formerly known as the Free Faculty of Theology) in 1975. In 1979 he was ordained as pastor in the (Lutheran) Norwegian State Church. He is married to Bjørg Bondevik (born Rasmussen), and has three children.
Representing the Christian Democratic Party, Bondevik has been a member of the Storting (Parliament) since 1973. He was his party's parliamentary leader in the periods of 1981–1983, 1986–1989, 1993–1997, 1997 and 2000–2001, and party leader from 1983 to 1995. In this position, he was succeeded by Valgerd Svarstad Haugland. Bondevik was also Minister of Foreign Affairs in Jan P. Syse's government of 1989–1990, Minister of Church and Education in Kåre Willoch's government 1983–1986, also Prime Minister Willoch's deputy 1985–1986, and state secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister during Lars Korvald's government 1972–1973.
While serving his first term as Prime Minister, Bondevik attracted international attention in August 1998 when he admitted that he was suffering from depression, becoming the highest ranking world leader to admit to suffering from a mental problem while in office. Upon this revelation, Anne Enger Lahnstein became acting Prime Minister for three weeks, from August 30 to September 23, while he treated the depression. Bondevik then returned to office.
In 2004 he was accused of being a member of the Fellowship Foundation, but continues to deny these claims.
Bondevik was awarded the Grand Cross of St. Olav in 2004, the first sitting Norwegian Prime Minister to receive the Order of St. Olav in 80 years.
Kjell Magne Bondevik's First Cabinet
(October 17, 1997 to March 3, 2000)
Kjell Magne Bondevik's Second Cabinet
(October 19, 2001 to October 17, 2005)
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kjell_Magne_Bondevik under GFDL
