Erna Solberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Erna Solberg
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Solberg in 2022
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| 35th Prime Minister of Norway | |
| In office 16 October 2013 – 14 October 2021 |
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| Monarch | Harald V |
| Preceded by | Jens Stoltenberg |
| Succeeded by | Jonas Gahr Støre |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| Assumed office 14 October 2021 |
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| Monarch | Harald V |
| Prime Minister | Jonas Gahr Støre |
| Preceded by | Jonas Gahr Støre |
| In office 17 October 2005 – 16 October 2013 |
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| Monarch | Harald V |
| Prime Minister | Jens Stoltenberg |
| Preceded by | Jens Stoltenberg |
| Succeeded by | Jens Stoltenberg |
| Leader of the Conservative Party | |
| Assumed office 9 May 2004 |
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| First Deputy | Per-Kristian Foss Jan Tore Sanner Henrik Asheim |
| Second Deputy | Jan Tore Sanner Erling Lae Bent Høie Tina Bru |
| Preceded by | Jan Petersen |
| Minister of Local Government and Regional Development |
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| In office 19 October 2001 – 17 October 2005 |
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| Prime Minister | Kjell Magne Bondevik |
| Preceded by | Sylvia Brustad |
| Succeeded by | Åslaug Haga |
| Leader of the Conservative Women's Association | |
| In office 7 March 1993 – 29 March 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Siri Frost Sterri |
| Succeeded by | Sonja Sjøli |
| Member of the Storting | |
| Assumed office 2 October 1989 |
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| Deputy | Silja Ekeland Bjørkly Eli Årdal Berland Erik Skutle Liv Kari Eskeland Charlotte Spurkeland |
| Constituency | Hordaland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 24, 1961 Bergen, Hordaland, Norway |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse |
Sindre Finnes
(m. 1996) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Bergen |
| Website | https://erna.no/ |
Erna Solberg (born 24 February 1961) is a Norwegian politician. She is currently the Leader of the Opposition in Norway. She was the 35th prime minister of Norway from 2013 to 2021. She has also been the leader of the Conservative Party since May 2004.
Solberg was first elected to the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament) in 1989. She served as a minister from 2001 to 2005. After the 2005 election, she led the Conservative Party's group in Parliament until 2013. She has always focused on the main ideas of Conservative policies.
After winning the election in September 2013, Solberg became prime minister. She was the second woman to hold this important job in Norway. Her government was first made up of two parties, the Conservative and Progress parties. They worked with other parties in Parliament. Her government was re-elected in 2017. In May 2018, she became the longest-serving Conservative prime minister in Norway's history. In 2019, her government grew to include more parties, giving them a majority in Parliament. After the 2021 election, her government lost its majority. She then resigned, and Jonas Gahr Støre formed a new government. Solberg returned to being the Leader of the Opposition.
Contents
Erna Solberg's Early Life and Education
Erna Solberg was born on 24 February 1961 in Bergen, a city in western Norway. She grew up in a nice neighborhood called Kalfaret. Her father, Asbjørn Solberg, was a consultant, and her mother, Inger Wenche Torgersen, worked in an office. Erna has two sisters.
Erna faced some challenges at school. When she was 16, she found out she had dyslexia. Despite this, she was very active and spoke up a lot in class. In her last year of high school in 1979, she was chosen to be on the board of the School Student Union of Norway. That same year, she led a national charity event where students raised money for Jamaica.
In 1986, she finished her university degree at the University of Bergen. She studied sociology, political science, statistics, and economics. In her final year, she led the Students' League of the Conservative Party in Bergen.
Since 1996, she has been married to Sindre Finnes. He is a businessman and used to be a politician. They have two children together. Their family has lived in both Bergen and Oslo.
Erna Solberg's Political Journey
Starting in Local Government
Solberg first became involved in local politics in Bergen. She was a deputy member of the Bergen city council from 1979 to 1983 and again from 1987 to 1989. During her second term, she was part of the executive committee. She also led local groups for young conservatives and the Conservative Party.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
In 1989, she was elected to the Storting, which is Norway's Parliament. She represented the area of Hordaland. She has been re-elected five times since then. From 1994 to 1998, she also led the national Conservative Women's Association.
Serving as a Minister
From 2001 to 2005, Solberg worked as the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development. She served under Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. During this time, she worked on making immigration rules stricter. She also helped prepare a plan to change how Norway's regions are managed. Because of her strong approach, especially on asylum policy, the media sometimes called her "Jern-Erna," which means "Iron Erna."
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Leading the Conservative Party
Solberg was the deputy leader of the Conservative Party from 2002 to 2004. In 2004, she became the official leader of the party.
Erna Solberg as Prime Minister of Norway (2013–2021)
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Leading the Country
Erna Solberg became the head of Norway's government after winning the general election on 9 September 2013. She was officially appointed Prime Minister on 16 October 2013. She was the second woman to become Prime Minister of Norway, after Gro Harlem Brundtland.
Her government was re-elected in 2017. This made Solberg the first conservative leader in Norway to win re-election since the 1980s. Her group of parties also kept their majority in the Storting.
Working with Other Parties
Solberg worked to include other parties in her government. In 2018, the Liberal Party officially joined her cabinet. In January 2019, the Christian Democratic Party also joined. This gave her government a strong majority in Parliament.
During the migration crisis in 2015, Solberg's government made rules for receiving migrants stricter. This led some people to call her "Iron Erna" again, like the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
When oil prices fell in March 2020, her government took steps to help businesses. They made it easier for companies to temporarily lay off employees and offered tax benefits.
Facing Challenges: COVID-19
In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway, Solberg apologized for not following national health guidelines. She had celebrated her birthday with family at a restaurant, which was more people than allowed. She said she should have known better.
On 24 September 2021, her government announced that most national measures against COVID-19 would be lifted. This officially reopened the country the next day.
Working for the World
As Prime Minister, Erna Solberg was very involved in global issues. She supported strong relationships between countries and security.
Helping the Oceans
In 2018, she brought together a group of experts to discuss how to have a healthy ocean economy. She also introduced this topic at the G7 Summit, a meeting of leaders from major countries. Her government supports a World Bank project to prevent damage to the oceans.
Supporting Global Goals
From 2016, she helped lead a group that supports the UN Secretary General's Sustainable Development Goals. These are goals for a better and more sustainable future for everyone. She is especially interested in making sure everyone, especially girls and children in conflict areas, can get a good education. She believes that investing in education helps achieve all other global goals.
Championing Girls' Education
Solberg has shown a special interest in issues related to gender, like girls' rights and education. She hopes that by 2030, no child will be stopped from reaching their potential because of poverty, gender, or cultural beliefs. She has given speeches about global development and has helped secure money for education and health for women and children around the world.
In 2018, she received the Global Citizen World Leader Award for her work on international issues.
After Being Prime Minister
On 20 May 2022, it was announced that Solberg would join the board of Global Citizen. This organization works to end poverty and achieve the UN's sustainability goals. She said she joined because Global Citizen has a great ability to inspire people, especially young people, to fight poverty.
Continuing in Politics
On 13 November 2022, Solberg announced that she would continue as the leader of the Conservative Party. She also said she would be their candidate for prime minister in the 2025 election.
In the 2023 local elections in Norway, the Conservative Party won the most votes under Solberg's leadership. This was the first time since 1924 that the Labour Party did not win the most votes in a national election.
Awards and Recognition
National Honours
Norway Commander of the Order of St. Olav (2005)- Norway King Harald V's Jubilee Medal 1991–2016 (2016)
Images for kids
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Solberg in 2022
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Erna Solberg during a party congress in May 2009.
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Solberg, José Manuel Barroso and Mariano Rajoy at a European People's Party Congress in Warsaw in 2009.
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Solberg and other Nordic leaders in Washington, D.C., 13 May 2016.
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Solberg and U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018.
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Solberg met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Stockholm in April 2018.
See also
In Spanish: Erna Solberg para niños
