Minister of Petroleum and Energy
Which position did Terje Søviknes hold between Oct 2017 and Nov 2017?
Terje Søviknes Terje Søviknes ( born 28 February 1969 ) is a Norwegian politician for the Progress Party who has served as the Minister of Petroleum and Energy from December 2016 to August 2018 . From December 2019 to January 2020 he served as the Minister of the Elderly and Public Health . He also serves as the party’s second deputy leader since 2019 , a post he previously held from 1999 to 2001 . Søviknes was the first politician of his party to become mayor of a Norwegian municipality , namely Os , Hordaland in 1999 , and one of the longest-serving , retaining the position for five consecutive elections until his 2016 government appointment . Early life and education . Søviknes was born in Os , Norway to metalworker and fisherman Eirik Søviknes ( born 1939 ) and store clerk Gunn Drange ( born 1942 ) . He grew up on Søvikneset in Lysefjorden . He attended Os Senior high school from 1985 to 1988 . He earned a degree in marine engineering from Bergen College of Engineering in 1992 , and later studied at the Norwegian School of Economics . Political career . Early career and sex scandal . From 1999 to 2001 , Søviknes was the second deputy leader of the Progress Party together with Siv Jensen , and was considered as a possible successor to Carl I . Hagen as leader of the party . He however became controversial after an incident at a party congress in 2001 where he had sexually abused a 16-year-old intoxicated member of the Youth of the Progress Party . Søviknes retained his position as mayor of Os ( since 1999 ) and did not lose his local support after the incident . Mayor of Os . After first being elected mayor following the 1999 local elections , his local partys support subsequently surged from 36.6 to 45.7% ( the highest share of votes for the party in a municipality for the election ) in the 2003 local elections . The success was repeated in the 2007 local elections when he was reelected by a landslide . The candidate from the Conservative Party who came in second , jokingly commented that You dont challenge Terje Søviknes in Os . He was yet again reelected in the 2011 local elections , this time however by a far lesser margin . This led to speculation that he could be ousted from power by a coalition of the other parties . Søviknes remained in power with the support of the Conservative party . Os has since by himself and the media been seen as a showcase municipality for the Progress Party . This is as he in his first term as mayor achieved full kindergarten coverage , full nursing home coverage and started a program of well-being and health journeys to Spain and related locations . It was also established a full stop of immigration and a local Vinmonopol store . Successful in being consecutively elected as mayor from 2003 to 2007 , in this term the main issues was development of the city centre , better drug addiction recovery programs , development of schools and construction of a waterpark . While the municipality was struggling with large deficits before Søviknes became mayor , this has since been turned into a significant surplus as of 2004 . His successful career as mayor of Os has gained him the nickname the Wizard of Os by the media . Minister of Petroleum and Energy . On 20 December 2016 Søviknes was appointed Minister of Petroleum and Energy in the Solberg Cabinet , succeeding fellow party member Tord Lien . He resigned in late August 2018 citing family reasons , and instead returned to become mayor of Os , a position he held for a year until Os was merged with Fusa to become Bjørnafjorden municipality in 2020 . Minister of the Elderly and Public Health . In December 2019 , Erna Solberg commenced a reshuffle where she appointed Søviknes to become Minister of the Elderly and Public Health succeeding fellow party member Sylvi Listhaug , who had been appointed as Minister of Petroleum and Energy . Like Listhaug , his term was cut short after a month when the Progress Party withdrew from the government , citing conflict within the government about bringing an ISIS associated women and her sick children home . Second term as deputy leader . Søviknes was re-elected as the party’s second deputy leader at the party congress on 5 May 2019 , succeeding Ketil Solvik-Olsen who didn’t stand for re-election citing family reasons . In 2021 , following Siv Jensen’s announced departure as party leader , Søviknes said he was open to continue as second deputy leader if Listhaug was elected her successor . Listhaug was subsequently elected party leader at the party convention , with Ketil Solvik-Olsen as first deputy leader , while Søviknes was re-elected as second deputy . Personal life . Søviknes married his first wife , Janniche Askeland in 1998 and they have two children together . In October 2011 they announced that they were separating . Søviknes is an avid bridge enthusiast and former president of the Os Bridge Club . Awards . - Zero Emission Resource Organisations Local climate measure of the year : 2011 - Norwegian Lifesaving Societys Badge of Honour : 1993