Kjell Magne Bondevik facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Kjell Magne Bondevik
Bondevik in 2004
Prime Minister of Norway
In office 19 October 2001 – 17 October 2005
Monarch	Harald V
Preceded by	Jens Stoltenberg
Succeeded by	Jens Stoltenberg
In office 17 October 1997 – 17 March 2000
Monarch	Harald V
Deputy	Anne Enger Odd Roger Enoksen
Preceded by	Thorbjørn Jagland
Succeeded by	Jens Stoltenberg
Deputy to the Prime Minister of Norway
In office 4 October 1985 – 9 May 1986
Prime Minister	Kåre Willoch
Preceded by	Post established
Succeeded by	Vacant (succeeded in 1997 by Anne Enger)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 16 October 1989 – 3 November 1990
Prime Minister	Jan P. Syse
Preceded by	Thorvald Stoltenberg
Succeeded by	Thorvald Stoltenberg
Minister of Education and Church Affairs
In office 8 June 1983 – 9 May 1986
Prime Minister	Kåre Willoch
Preceded by	Tore Austad
Succeeded by	Kirsti Kolle Grøndahl
Leader of the Christian Democratic Party
In office 16 April 1983 – 24 March 1995
Preceded by	Kåre Kristiansen
Succeeded by	Valgerd Svarstad Haugland
State Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister
In office 23 October 1972 – 6 August 1973
Prime Minister	Lars Korvald
Member of the Norwegian Parliament
In office 1 October 1973 – 30 September 2005
Deputy	Kjell Furnes Agnes Reiten Aud Inger Aure Modulf Aukan
Constituency	Møre og Romsdal
Deputy Member of the Storting
In office 1 October 1969 – 30 September 1973
Constituency	Møre og Romsdal
Personal details
Born	(1947-09-03) 3 September 1947 (age 77) Molde, Møre og Romsdal, Norway
Political party	Christian Democratic
Spouse	Bjørg Bondevik
Children	3
Alma mater	MF Norwegian School of Theology
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Kjell Magne Bondevik (born 3 September 1947) is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician. He led the Christian Democratic Party. Bondevik served as the prime minister of Norway twice. His first term was from 1997 to 2000, and his second was from 2001 to 2005. This made him one of Norway's longest-serving prime ministers from a non-Labour Party since World War II. Today, Bondevik is the president of the Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights.

Early Life and Family

Kjell Magne Bondevik was born in Molde, Norway. His father, Johannes Bondevik, was a school principal and also a local politician. His mother's name was Margit. Kjell Magne studied theology and became a minister in the Church of Norway in 1979.

He is married to Bjørg Bondevik. They have three children: Bjørn, Hildegunn, and John Harald. Kjell Magne Bondevik comes from a family with other notable people. His uncle, Kjell Bondevik, was also a politician.

Political Journey

Bondevik became involved in politics at a young age. He was a member of the Storting (Norway's Parliament) from 1973 to 2005. He led his party's group in Parliament for several periods. He was also the leader of the Christian Democratic Party from 1983 to 1995.

Before becoming Prime Minister, Bondevik held other important government jobs. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 1990. He also served as the Minister of Church and Education from 1983 to 1986.

Leading Norway as Prime Minister

Bondevik with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C., in 2003.

Bondevik's first time as prime minister started on 17 October 1997. He led a coalition government. This government included his Christian Democratic Party, the Centre Party, and the Liberal Party.

During his first term, Bondevik shared something very personal. In August 1998, he announced that he was experiencing a depressive episode. He was the highest-ranking world leader at that time to openly talk about having a mental illness while in office. For three weeks, Anne Enger took over as acting prime minister while he recovered. Bondevik then returned to his duties. He received many supportive messages from people. He said that sharing his experience was positive. It helped make mental illness more openly discussed.

Bondevik's first government ended in March 2000. This happened after a disagreement about building gas-fired power stations. A new government, led by Jens Stoltenberg from the Labour Party, then took over.

Bondevik became prime minister again on 19 October 2001. His second government was also a coalition. It included the Christian Democratic Party, the Conservative Party, and the Liberal Party. This government made many changes and saw a strong economy. However, Bondevik's coalition lost the election in 2005. The Red-Green Coalition won more seats.

After the 2005 election, Bondevik decided to retire from national politics. He did not seek to be re-elected to Parliament.

After Being Prime Minister

After leaving office, Kjell Magne Bondevik continued to work for important causes. In January 2006, he founded the Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights. This center works to promote world peace, human rights, and understanding between different religions. The center works with other groups, like the Carter Center in Atlanta.

In 2006, he published his memoir, which is like a life story book. It was called Et liv i spenning, meaning A life of excitement and tension.

In 2017, Bondevik was stopped and questioned in the United States. This happened because of new rules about travel from certain countries. He had visited Iran in 2014 for diplomatic reasons.

Bondevik has received several honors for his work. In 2004, he was awarded the Grand Cross of St. Olav. This is a very high honor in Norway. He is also a member of the Club de Madrid. This group includes former leaders of democratic countries who work to make democracy stronger. In 2009, he received an honorary degree from the University of San Francisco.

See also

In Spanish: Kjell Magne Bondevik para niños