Dagfinn Høybråten

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Dagfinn Høybråten (born December 2, 1957), is a Norwegian politician, representing the Christian Democratic Party (KrF). He has a political degree (cand.polit) from the University of Oslo in 1984. He is married and has four children.

[edit] Political career

Høybråten led the Ministry of Health and Care Services from 1997 to 2000 and again from 2000 to 2004. Following a 2004 Government reshuffle, Høybråten was transferred to lead the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. In 2004, he also assumed the leadership of KrF.

As Minister of Health, Høybråten was noted for his campaign against tobacco smoking at all public indoor places. It resulted in the adoption by the Norwegian Parliament of law banning smoking inside public places such as restaurants, cafés and hotels. (It is still permitted to smoke in hotel rooms). Ireland and California (USA) had adopted similar laws. Sweden imposed a similar law in 2005. Throughout 2004, he was accused in the social-political media as Dagbladet, of being a "mørkemann" (lit, "dark man"), meaning a Christian with a hidden fundamentalist agenda.

Losing by a margin of 180 votes to win a seat in the 1989 General Election, Høybråten did not hold a seat in the Norwegian Parliament until elected in 2005. Ahead of the 2005 election, Høybråten was nominated from Rogaland instead of his home county of Akershus, where he is a prominent inhabitant in the village of Fjellstrand. This was in order to avoid a nomination battle with the former party leader Valgerd Svarstad Haugland.

In 2007 Høybråten serves as the president of the Nordic Council.

[edit] External links

Nordic Council