Per Borten

Per Borten
Borten in 1964.
25thPrime Minister of Norway
In office 12 October 1965 – 17 March 1971
Monarch	Olav V
Preceded by	Einar Gerhardsen
Succeeded by	Trygve Bratteli
Member of the Norwegian Parliament
In office 1 January 1950 – 30 September 1977
Constituency	Sør-Trøndelag
President of the Odelsting
In office 9 October 1973 – 30 September 1977
Vice President	Aase Lionæs
Preceded by	Håkon Johnsen
Succeeded by	Asbjørn Haugstvedt
In office 6 October 1961 – 30 September 1965
Vice President	Jakob Martin Pettersen
Preceded by	Alv Kjøs
Succeeded by	Nils Hønsvald
Personal details
Born	(1913-04-03)3 April 1913 Flå,Sør-Trøndelag,Norway
Died	20 January 2005(2005-01-20)(aged 91) Trondheim,Norway
Political party	Centre
Spouse	Magnhild Borten (1922–2006)
Children	Kari Borten
Signature

(3 April 1913 – 20 January 2005) was aNorwegianpolitician from theCentre Partyand the 25thprime minister of Norwayfrom 1965 to 1971. Per Borten is credited for leading the modernization of what was then named Bondepartiet (theAgrarianParty) into today's Centre Party. He was an active opponent of Norway joining theEuropean Union.

Early life

Borten was born inFlåin the municipality ofMelhusinSør-Trøndelag,and was educatedAgriculturistfrom theNorwegian College of Agriculturein 1939. He started his political career serving as mayor of his home municipally, Flå, from 1945 to 1955. He was elected to theNorwegian parliamentin 1949 and stayed there until his retirement in 1977. Borten was President of theOdelsting1961–1965 and 1973–1977.

Political career

He was appointed president of theOdelsting,acted as the parliamentary leader for his party and served as its chairman from 1955 to 1967. AsPrime Minister of Norwayfrom 1965, he headed a four-party centre-right coalition government, until 17 March 1971, when the government dissolved itself. He resigned as Prime Minister when it became known that he had shown confidential information about Norway in the negotiations concerningEuropean Economic Communitymembership, with amongst others,Arne Haugestad,then leader of the People's Movement against Norwegian membership of the EEC.

Borten's time asPrime Minister of Norwaysaw the enactment of a range of progressive reforms. Earnings-related pensions were introduced in 1966,while under a June 1969 law the Housing Bank offered loans for improving old dwellings. The Special Supplement to National Insurance Benefits Law of June 1969 established a special supplement for those not entitled to supplementary pensions, and the Law on Compensation Supplement to National Insurance Benefits of December 1969 introduced a supplement to compensate for the introduction of a value-added tax system. The Basic Schooling Law of June 1969 introduced9-year comprehensive schooling,while under another law passed that same year, family allowances were extended to the first child under the age of 16, while single-parent families were provided with one extra allowance in addition to the number of children.

Later life

After his retirement from politics, Borten continued to speak out on issues such asnuclear disarmament,clandestine surveillance, and the controversy on Norway's relationship to the European Union. He served on the boards of several public banking organizations. He earned a reputation for being an engaging and somewhat contrarian figure in the Norwegian political landscape.

His down-to-earth nature had been strongly underlined in 1969, when newspaperDagbladetinterviewed him at his farm while he was prime minister. He did the interview wearing nothing but a pair of shoes, a hat andtrunks,only days beforeQueen Elizabeth IIwas invited to the same farm on a state visit to Norway. The picture of Borten in his underwear went around the world, and the British newspaperDaily Mirrorprinted the picture over two pages with the headline:Now the Norwegian Prime Minister is ready to receive the Queen.

Another popular story was when Borten's Defence Minister,Otto Grieg Tidemand,invited him and others to a private dinner. After eating, Tidemand surprised his guests with the finest vintagebrandy.Without blinking Borten responded by pouring the brandy into his coffee, making himselfkarsk.

Borten died at St. Olav's Hospital inTrondheimat the age of 91. He was buried atFlå Churchin the municipality of Melhus. His wife Magnhild died on 2 June 2006, aged 84.

External links

• Vassbotn, Per (1986).Da Borten falt gjensyn med regjeringens Lekkasje og forlis 1971.ISBN978-82-02-10726-0.
• Ole N. Hoemsnes (1986).Skjebnedøgn om Borten-regjeringens fall.ISBN978-82-05-16921-0.