The main reason for this is the need for a strong, stable and experienced person in the demanding post.
Ingvild Kjerkol has finished as Minister of Health and Care due to extensive text similarity in the master’s degree she delivered in 2021.
Now the Labor Party’s deputy leader Jan Christian Vestre (37) is being brought forward to NRK as a high-profile name to succeed Kjerkol.
Vestre has been minister of industry ever since the Støre government took office in the autumn of 2021. Also when there was a shake-up in the Støre government last autumn, Vestre was mentioned as relevant for other cabinet posts. At the time, he wanted to continue as minister of business.
Støre himself had a period as health minister before becoming party leader in 2014 and prime minister after the election in 2021.
Myrseth and Aasland
Of the other names who are already in the government, two names are highlighted.
Minister of Fisheries Cecilie Myrseth (39) from Troms has experience in the health area from the Storting, including as first deputy chair of the committee. She has also presented her biggest issue as fisheries minister, namely the quota report, and may be ready for new tasks.
MINISTER: Cecilie Myrseth from Troms.
Photo: William Jobling / NRK
A counterargument is that she only joined the government last autumn and is thus still fresh as a minister.
Minister of Energy Terje Aasland (59) from Telemark, on the other hand, is not recent. He has long and wide experience both as a minister and an Labor politician and is highlighted as a safe bet against NRK.
At the same time, Aasland is currently responsible for an issue, namely energy policy, where there are strong contradictions within the government. This suggests that Støre may want to keep him where he is.
MINISTER: Terje Aasland from Telemark.
Photo: Sindre Thoresen Lønnes / NRK
Strong names in the Storting
If Støre were to choose to look outside the government for a new minister, two names in the Storting would be put forward: Tuva Moflag (45) from Akershus and Lene Vågslid (38) from Telemark.
Moflag has extensive experience as a health politician, as she sat on the health and care committee at the Storting for the entire previous term. This year, she led one of the largest and most important processes in the Storting when the governing parties managed to land a broad pension settlement.
STORING: Tuva Moflag from Akershus.
Photo: William Jobling / NRK
Moflag also has experience from the business world and will be able to hold several roles in the government, including the post of minister of business, if Vestre is moved.
Recently, she was appointed head of the finance committee at the Storting, which could tilt a possible cabinet post in her favour.
Lene Vågslid is highlighted as one of the Labor Party’s strongest cards in the Storting. She chaired the justice committee in the previous term and now chairs the municipal and administration committee. But Vågslid has no experience as a minister.
STORING: Lene Vågslid from Telemark.
Photo: NTB
Published 12.04.2024, at 13.03 Updated 12.04.2024, at 13.46