18 Facts About Vidar Kleppe

Vidar Sveinung Kleppe was born on 16 September 1963 and is a Norwegian politician.

Vidar Kleppe was a member of parliament and deputy leader of the Progress Party until he was suspended and left the party in 2001.

Vidar Kleppe was the founder and leader of the Democrats party from 2002 to 2012, and has since 2003 held public office as a member of the Vest-Agder county council and the Kristiansand municipal council.

Vidar Kleppe received education at a mechanical school from 1980 to 1981, and after this went to sea for a year.

Vidar Kleppe was married in 1992 to Elin Dyrstad Kleppe, and has three children, two with Elin.

Vidar Kleppe wrote in 2021 that his wife Elin had died of cancer.

Vidar Kleppe was a prominent politician for the Progress Party during the 1990s and was a member of their national board from 1989 to 1999.

Vidar Kleppe was a member of parliament for two periods, from 1989 to 1993 and from 1997 to 2001.

Vidar Kleppe held the office as a member of the Kristiansand municipal council from 1987 to 1999.

In early 2001 turmoil however erupted within the Progress Party, and Vidar Kleppe was suspended and soon left the party, in spite of strong opposition to the suspension in many local chapters of the party.

The suspension was restricted to a year only, but Vidar Kleppe chose to leave the party and contested the 2001 parliamentary election as a candidate for the Southern Norway List.

Vidar Kleppe was elected as member of the Vest-Agder county council and Kristiansand municipal council in the 2003 local elections, and was re-elected again in 2007.

Vidar Kleppe has held speeches at several rallies of the anti-Muslim activist group Stop Islamisation of Norway.

Vidar Kleppe was re-elected to the Kristiansand municipal council the same year as the party's only representative.

When running for the 2007 local elections, Vidar Kleppe cited as his most important issues to fight for the weak in society and against poverty, as well as to stop the Islamisation and dechristianisation of Norway.

Vidar Kleppe has publicly endorsed the controversial short film Fitna, made by Dutch politician Geert Wilders, and recommends everyone to see it.

In January 2009, Vidar Kleppe was denied membership of the eurosceptic organisation Nei til EU as he, according to its leader Heming Olaussen, stood for "racist attitudes".

In 1999 Vidar Kleppe was twice assaulted, both times by the pouring of beer over his head.