Odvar Nordli

Odvar Nordli
Prime Minister of Norway
In office 12 January 1976 – 30 January 1981
Monarch	Olav V
Preceded by	Trygve Bratteli
Succeeded by	Gro Harlem Brundtland
Personal details
Born	(1927-11-03) 3 November 1927 Tangen, Norway
Political party	Labour Party
Signature	Odvar Nordli's signature

(born 3 November 1927) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 1976 to 1981.

Early Life

Nordli grew up in Tangen in Stange, Hedmark. After World War II he served in the Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany, part of the Allied forces occupying post-war Germany. By education he became a certified accountant before entering politics, and worked in this field until 1961. He served as deputy mayor of Stange municipality from 1951 to 1963.

Political Life

He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hedmark in 1961, and was re-elected on five occasions. He had previously served in the position of deputy representative during the terms 1954–1957 and 1958–1961.

Nordli became a cabinet member in 1971, serving as Minister of Local Government in the first cabinet Bratteli. Nordli became Prime Minister in 1976, heading the cabinet Nordli which succeeded the second cabinet Bratteli. Nordli had to govern through several tough cases like the so-called double-resolution over NATO and the national controversy over the damming of the Alta-Kautokeino river. The cabinet Nordli sat until February 1981, when it was followed by another labour party cabinet: Brundtland's First Cabinet.

In social policy, Nordli's premiership saw the passage of a law in June 1978 in which sickness benefits were to equal 100% of gross wages from the first day of sickness for up to 312 days for the same sickness.

His career in politics ended with the post of County Governor of Hedmark, which he held from 1981 until his retirement in 1993. He was also a member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee from 1985 to 1993.

Since retiring, Nordli has had a number of books published.

References

• Documentary featuring Nordli
• Growth to limits: the Western European welfare states since World War 2: Volume 4 by Peter Flora

Political offices
Preceded by Helge Rognlien	Norwegian Minister of Local Government 1971–1972	Succeeded by Johan Skipnes
Preceded by Trygve Bratteli	Prime Minister of Norway 1976–1981	Succeeded by Gro Harlem Brundtland
Preceded by Anfinn Lund	County Governor of Hedmark 1981–1993	Succeeded by Kjell Borgen