Quick Facts
Biography
Odvar Nordli(born 3 November 1927) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 1976 to 1981.
Early life
Nordli grew up in Tangen in Stange, Hedmark. After World War II he served in the Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany, part of the Allied forces occupying post-war Germany. By education he became a certified accountant before entering politics, and worked in this field until 1961. He served as deputy mayor of Stange municipality from 1951 to 1963.
Political life
He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hedmark in 1961, and was re-elected on five occasions. He had previously served in the position of deputy representative during the terms 1954–1957 and 1958–1961.
Nordli became a cabinet member in 1971, serving as Minister of Local Government in the first cabinet Bratteli. He became Prime Minister in 1976, heading the cabinet Nordli which succeeded the second cabinet Bratteli. He had to govern through several tough cases like the so-called double-resolution over NATO and the national controversy over the damming of the Alta-Kautokeino river. The cabinet Nordli sat until February 1981, when it was followed by another labour party cabinet: Brundtland's First Cabinet.
In social policy, Nordli's premiership saw the passage of a law in June 1978 in which sickness benefits were to equal 100% of gross wages from the first day of sickness for up to 312 days for the same sickness.
After retiring as prime minister in 1981, he was elected vice president of the Storting. He served as vice president until 1985.
His career in politics ended with the post of County Governor of Hedmark, which he held from 1981 until his retirement in 1993. He was also a member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee from 1985 to 1993.
Since retiring, Nordli has had a number of books published.
