Kjell Ingolf Ropstad

Kjell Ingolf Ropstad (born 1 June 1985) is a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party, who is the Minister of Children, Family and Church Affairs[1] and the leader of the Christian Democratic Party since 2019.[2] He has been a member of the Norwegian Parliament Stortinget since 2009.

Kjell Ingolf Ropstad
Ropstad in 2015.
Minister of Children, Family and Church Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 January 2019
Prime Minister	Erna Solberg
Preceded by	Linda Hofstad Helleland
Leader of the Christian Democratic Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 April 2019
Deputy	Olaug Bollestad Ingelin Noresjø
Preceded by	Knut Arild Hareide
Second Deputy Leader of the Christian Democratic Party
In office 29 April 2017 – 27 April 2019
Leader	Knut Arild Hareide Olaug Bollestad (acting)
Preceded by	Dagrun Eriksen
Succeeded by	Ingelin Noresjø
Member of the Norwegian Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 October 2009
Constituency	Aust-Agder
Leader of the Young Christian Democrats
In office 25 June 2007 – 18 September 2010
Preceded by	Inger Lise Hansen
Succeeded by	Elizabeth Løland
First Deputy Leader of the Young Christian Democrats
In office 19 June 2005 – 25 June 2007
Leader	Inger Lise Hansen
Preceded by	Inger Lise Hansen
Succeeded by	Hilde Ekeberg
Personal details
Born	1 June 1985 Arendal, Aust-Agder, Norway
Political party	Christian Democratic
Spouse(s)	Arnbjørg Vedelden
Children	2

Personal background and education

Kjell Ingolf Ropstad was born in Arendal in 1985 to teacher Gunda Wiberg and Bjørn Alfred Ropstad, who was mayor of Evje og Hornnes. He has a bachelor's degree in law and economics.

Political career

He was a member of Evje og Hornes municipality council from 2003 to 2007, and the county council in Aust-Agder from 2003 to 2007.

He was the leader of the Youth of the Christian People's Party, the youth wing of the Christian Democratic Party, from 2007 to 2010. He had previously been deputy leader since 2005.

He served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Aust-Agder during the term 2005–2009. He was elected a representative from Aust-Agder for the period 2009–2013.

From late 2018 to early 2019, he led the party's negotiations to enter the Solberg Cabinet after the path choice initiated by then leader Knut Arild Hareide. When negotiations were finished, he alongside two other party members, were appointed to the cabinet. Ropstad himself became Minister of Children and Family Affairs,[3]and was also subsequently elected party leader in April the same year. The week before 26 May 2020, Ropstad stated that the Christian Democrats would add changes to the Biotechnology law. He and his party attempted to secure more conservative Progress Party members, but when the Storting voted the week after, the party suffered a major loss in reforming the law. Instead, the other government parties, along with all opposistion parties, voted for their own changes, which marked the first change in the law since 2004.[4] From 2 June to 21 August 2020, Ropstad took parental leave as minister, and Ida Lindtveit Røse took over in acting capacity.[5]

References

1. "Here is the new Cabinet" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
2. "Kjell Ingolf Ropstad New Christian Democratic Leader" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
3. "The Christian Democrats have decided - This is the way forward" (in Norwegian). NRK. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
4. "Voted for major changes in the biotechnology law" (in Norwegian). Dagens Medisin. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
5. "Christian Democratic Ida (27) welcomed as minister despite Vedum's PR-criticism" (in Norwegian). VG. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.

• "Kjell Ingolf Ropstad" (in Norwegian). Storting.