Kristin Halvorsen

Kristin Halvorsen
Halvorsen in 2018.
Minister of Education and Research
In office 20 October 2009 – 16 October 2013
Prime Minister	Jens Stoltenberg
Preceded by	Bård Vegar Solhjell
Succeeded by	Torbjørn Røe Isaksen
Minister of Finance
In office 17 October 2005 – 20 October 2009
Prime Minister	Jens Stoltenberg
Preceded by	Per-Kristian Foss
Succeeded by	Sigbjørn Johnsen
Leader of the Socialist Left Party
In office 3 May 1997 – 11 March 2012
Deputy	Øystein Djupedal Bård Vegar Solhjell Audun Lysbakken
Preceded by	Erik Solheim
Succeeded by	Audun Lysbakken
Member of the Storting
In office 1 October 1989 – 30 September 2013
Deputy	Heidi Sørensen Akhtar Chaudhry
Constituency	Oslo
Personal details
Born	(1960-09-02) 2 September 1960 (age 63) Horten, Vestfold, Norway
Political party	Socialist Left
Spouse	Charlo Halvorsen
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Oslo

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 a 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 stepped down as leader in 2012, and was succeeded by Audun Lysbakken on 11 March.

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. Halvorsen took office as Minister of Finance, becoming the first woman to hold the position.