Per-Kristian Foss

Per-Kristian Foss (born 19 July 1950 in Oslo) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party and from 2014 to 2021 the Auditor General of Norway.

Per-Kristian Foss
Foss in 2009
Second Vice President of the Storting
In office 8 October 2009 – 30 September 2013
President	Dag Terje Andersen
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Kenneth Svendsen
First Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party
In office 9 May 2004 – 27 April 2008
Leader	Erna Solberg
Preceded by	Erna Solberg
Succeeded by	Jan Tore Sanner
Second Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party
In office 5 May 2002 – 9 May 2004
Leader	Jan Petersen
Preceded by	Anne Berit Andersen
Succeeded by	Jan Tore Sanner
Minister of Finance
In office 19 October 2001 – 17 October 2005
Prime Minister	Kjell Magne Bondevik
Preceded by	Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen
Succeeded by	Kristin Halvorsen
Member of the Norwegian Parliament
In office 1 October 1981 – 30 September 2013
Deputy	Ine Eriksen Søreide
Constituency	Oslo
Leader of the Young Conservatives
In office 1 June 1973 – 1 June 1977
Preceded by	Jan Petersen
Succeeded by	Kaci Kullmann Five
Personal details
Born	Per-Kristian Foss (1950-07-19) 19 July 1950 Oslo, Norway
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Jan Erik Knarbakk
Occupation	Politician

He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Oslo in 1981, and was re-elected on six occasions. He had previously served as a deputy representative during the term 1977–1981.

From 2001 to 2005, when the second cabinet Bondevik held office, Foss was Minister of Finance. He also acted as Prime Minister very briefly in 2002. During this period his seat in parliament was taken by Ine Eriksen Søreide. Foss has received much attention for being the first openly gay minister in a Norwegian government and lives in registered partnership with Jan Erik Knarbakk.[1] He was the first openly homosexual national leader.[2]

On the local level Foss was a deputy member of Oslo city council from 1971 to 1975.

From 1973 to 1977 he was the leader of the Young Conservatives (Unge Høyre), the youth wing of the Conservative Party. Per Kristian Foss was mentioned as a possible new leader for the Conservative Party after Jan Petersen resigned in 2004, but he declined to run and instead supported Erna Solberg.[3] After Høyre struggled in elections and polls during the first years of Erna Solberg's leadership he was also mentioned as a possible new leader,[4] but he never challenged Solberg for the leadership position. At present Foss is deputy chairman of the Conservative Party and member of the party's central board.

Foss has a cand.mag. degree in political science, public law and criminology from the University of Oslo (1977) and partial graduate studies in political science.