Thorbjørn Jagland
Thorbjørn Jagland (born Thorbjørn Johansen; ⓘ, 5 November 1950) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. He served as the Secretary General of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019. He served as the 32nd Prime Minister of Norway from 1996 to 1997, as the minister of Foreign Affairs from 2000 to 2001 and as the president of the Storting from 2005 to 2009.
His Excellency Thorbjørn Jagland | |
|---|---|
Jagland in 2016 | |
| Secretary General of the Council of Europe | |
| In office 1 October 2009 – 18 September 2019 | |
| Deputy | Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni |
| Preceded by | Maud de Boer-Buquicchio (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Marija Pejčinović Burić |
| 32nd Prime Minister of Norway | |
| In office 25 October 1996 – 17 October 1997 | |
| Monarch | Harald V |
| Preceded by | Gro Harlem Brundtland |
| Succeeded by | Kjell Magne Bondevik |
| Leader of the Labour Party | |
| In office 8 November 1992 – 10 November 2002 | |
| First Deputy | Jens Stoltenberg |
| Second Deputy | Hill-Marta Solberg |
| Preceded by | Gro Harlem Brundtland |
| Succeeded by | Jens Stoltenberg |
| Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee | |
| In office 1 January 2009 – 3 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Ole Danbolt Mjøs |
| Succeeded by | Kaci Kullmann Five |
| President of the Storting | |
| In office 10 October 2005 – 30 September 2009 | |
| Monarch | Harald V |
| Prime Minister | Kjell Magne Bondevik Jens Stoltenberg |
| Vice President | Carl I. Hagen |
| Preceded by | Jørgen Kosmo |
| Succeeded by | Dag Terje Andersen |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 17 March 2000 – 19 October 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Jens Stoltenberg |
| Preceded by | Knut Vollebæk |
| Succeeded by | Jan Petersen |
| Member of the Norwegian Parliament | |
| In office 1 October 1993 – 30 September 2009 | |
| Deputy | Vidar Brynsplass Frank Willy Larsen Martin Kolberg |
| Constituency | Buskerud |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thorbjørn Johansen 5 November 1950 Drammen, Buskerud, Norway |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Hanne Grotjord |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Oslo |
| Signature | |
Jagland studied economics at the University of Oslo at introductory level, but did not graduate. He started his political career in the Workers' Youth League, which he led from 1977 to 1981. He was party secretary from 1986 to 1992 and party leader from 1992 to 2002.
Jagland's cabinet, albeit short-lived, was marked by controversies, with two ministers being forced to withdraw following personal scandals. Jagland, who was much ridiculed in the media for his quotes and statements and frequently portrayed as incompetent, resigned following the 1997 election, as a consequence of his much ridiculed 36.9 ultimatum, even though his party won the most votes. In 2010 a group of forty prominent historians ranked Jagland as the weakest Norwegian prime minister since the end of the Second World War; two years before, his predecessor Gro Harlem Brundtland had criticized his premiership in harsh terms and described Jagland as "stupid". Also his term as Foreign Minister was marked by controversies, due to his perceived lack of qualification for the office and quotes and statements that were considered inappropriate. Jagland was widely perceived to have been passed over when Jens Stoltenberg formed his second cabinet in 2005.
In 2009, Jagland was elected as the secretary-general of the Council of Europe. In 2014 he was reelected for an additional five years. His tenure as secretary-general has been controversial, and he has been accused of inaction against corruption and of servility towards Putin's Russia. Jagland was a member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and left in 2020; he formerly served as its chairman from 2009 to 2015.