Jonas Gahr Støre

Jonas Gahr Støre (Norwegian: [ˈjùːnɑs gɑː‿ˈʂtø̂ːrə]; born 25 August 1960) is a Norwegian politician who has served as the prime minister of Norway since 2021.

He has been Leader of the Labour Party since 2014. He served under Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2012 and as Minister of Health and Care Services from 2012 to 2013. Støre has been a member of the Storting for Oslo since 2009.

Støre was born in Oslo, grew up in West End Oslo and underwent naval officer training at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy. He studied political science at Sciences Po in Paris from 1981 to 1985 and international relations at the London School of Economics. As a student in Paris, he was active in the efforts to support the Jewish refuseniks in the Soviet Union.

Støre was a career special adviser and director-general in the Prime Minister's Office from 1989 to 1997, serving under prime ministers Jan Syse, Gro Harlem Brundtland, and Thorbjørn Jagland. He became known as a protégé of Brundtland in the 1990s, and her mentorship inspired him to become a member of the Labour Party in 1995. In 1998, he followed Brundtland to the World Health Organization, where he became her chief of staff. Støre was State Secretary and Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office in the first government of Jens Stoltenberg; the government was inspired by the British New Labour project. He later served as Secretary-General of the Norwegian Red Cross from 2003 to 2005. Like his political mentors Brundtland and Stoltenberg, Støre is mostly associated with the business-friendly right-wing of the Labour Party. He became a household name for Norwegians during his tenure as foreign minister, when he was voted the most popular member of the cabinet several times.

Despite the Labour Party receiving 1% fewer votes and losing a seat, the centre-left won a majority in the 2021 Norwegian parliamentary election. As the leader of the largest party, Støre was the clear favourite for the role of prime minister. Two days after the resignation of Erna Solberg and her government on 12 October 2021, Støre was appointed as prime minister by King Harald V, leading a minority government with the Centre Party.