Kristin Halvorsen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Finance
Kristin Halvorsen (born 2 September 1960) is a Norwegian politician of the Socialist Left Party. She served as Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2009 and as Minister of Education from 2009 to 2013. She also served as the party’s leader from 1997 to 2012 and an member of parliament representing Oslo, from 1989 to 2013.
Taking over as leader of the Socialist Left Party in 1997, she established an unprecedented level of consensus within the party. At the 2005 election, the party received a disappointing 8.8% share of the vote, and in 2009 down further, to 6.2%. She was succeeded by Audun Lysbakken on 11 March 2012.
The Socialist Left, in coalition with the Labour Party and the Centre Party, won Norway's September 2005 parliamentary elections. The resulting Red-Green coalition government marked the first time that the Socialist Left Party was included in the cabinet. Kristin Halvorsen took office as the 125th Minister of Finance in Norwegian history and the first woman ever to serve in that post.
She resigned as leader of the Socialist Left Party in 2012.