Former Prime Minister of Norway and current Stortinget member Kjell Magne Bondevik was in attendance in Minneapolis’ Syttende Mai celebration at Loring Park last Saturday. Appearing in good spirits, Bondevik sat in the front row with his wife, her sister, and brother-in-law as costumed performers filed on and off stage. Bondevik currently represents the county of M¢re and Romsdal as a member of parliament.
Bondevik’s presence was an interesting contrast with the typically close-mouthed Norwegian-American community of Minneapolis. Usually appraised as reserved, unemotional, and somewhat conservative, it seems that Norwegian-Americans may be taking small steps toward changing this image.
Bondevik’s frankness regarding his sick-leave for depression while serving as prime minister shocked the public in 1998 when he announced that “my strength was gone….I did not have the energy I needed to meet the challenges.” His admission at the time was intended to “demistify something which is fairly common, but which many people have problems talking about openly.” Despite initial doubts, Norwegian approval ratings over this frankness reached 85% in October of 1998.
The former prime minister’s stand on environmental issues is also far from conservative. Kjell Magne Bondevik resigned his position last March following a dispute over environmental conservation. Bondevik lost a parliamentary vote of confidence over his objection to building natural gas fired power stations which were likely to release pollutants associated with global warming. The Labour and Conservative parties won out due to increased power demands in Norway and a desire to avoid electricity rationing.
While Bondevik did not mention these issues during his speech at Loring Park, Norway’s Consul General in Minneapolis hinted that Bondevik might once again find himself Prime Minister after elections are held in September. The Consul General also quelled the rumor that the Minneapolis consulate would be closed down.
On stage, Bondevik commented that it was “strange to be abroad on our National Day” and went on to describe the Syttende Mai festivities in Norway, where processions of children in traditional dress marched up Oslo’s Karl Johan street to salute the royal family at the palace.
Also mentioned were the United States’ strong ties to Norway, dating from the initial discovery of Vinland by Vikings over a thousand years ago, through the tremendous waves of Norwegian immigration beginning in 1825, Clinton’s visit to Norway in November of 1999, and the ongoing commitments shared between the nations in terms of family, politics, culture, science, religion, and education. Bondevik joked that the number of Norwegians in the United States is equal to those who remain in Norway.
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