23 Facts About Audun Lysbakken

Audun Lysbakken held the post as Minister of Children and Equality in Jens Stoltenberg's second government from October 2009 to March 2012, when he resigned due to a conflict of interest.

Audun Lysbakken has university minors in French and comparative politics from the University of Bergen.

Audun Lysbakken was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 2001 as a representative for Hordaland county.

Audun Lysbakken was a member of the parliament's Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

Audun Lysbakken was not re-elected in 2005, but became first deputy representative.

Audun Lysbakken was elected deputy leader of the Socialist Left Party on 18 February 2006.

Audun Lysbakken was elected to the Storting from Hordaland following the 2001 election.

Audun Lysbakken served until 2005, and was re-elected in the 2009 election.

In 2009, Audun Lysbakken reclaimed a seat in Parliament from Hordaland, and was appointed to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.

Audun Lysbakken was named parliamentary leader of his party group, but was shortly thereafter appointed as Minister of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion in Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet on 20 October 2009, as the first man to hold this post.

Audun Lysbakken wrote a book entitled "Liberty, equality and fatherhood", which was published in 2011.

Audun Lysbakken resigned from his office on 5 March 2012.

Several commentators agreed that Audun Lysbakken was the "winner" of several of the biggest televised debates.

Audun Lysbakken led the party into 2021 election, with the campaign focusing on tackling climate change and inequality.

Audun Lysbakken's party went onto win 2 more seats, increasing the seat count to 13.

Audun Lysbakken reassured that the party was open to re-start negotiations at a later point in time, and added that the party would be going into opposition.

On 9 November 2022, Audun Lysbakken announced that he wouldn't seek re-election as party leader and step down at the next party convention in March 2023, citing family reasons.

Audun Lysbakken later apologized unreservedly, calling the affair an "error of judgment" on his behalf and promising a "full review" of the Ministry's past funding of external projects.

Audun Lysbakken's conduct was labeled "political corruption" by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International's Norwegian branch, a position that was echoed by scholar Petter Gottschalk.

Audun Lysbakken puts inequality and injustice at the centre of his political project, arguing that the left should prioritize the reduction of economic and social inequality.

Audun Lysbakken makes the case that SV is a party rooted as strongly in socialist views as in the green, environmental tradition, and that he sees the question of climate change in terms of intergenerational and international equity.

Audun Lysbakken argued for his views in a 2005 interview, and was defended by Prime Minister Stoltenberg when appointed minister in 2009.

Audun Lysbakken is married to Siv Mjaaland, and the couple have three children.