Ingvald Godal
Encyclopedia
Ingvald Godal is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party
and later the Conservative Party
. For the former party he was a State Secretary
as well as mayor
of Vinje
; for the latter party he served four terms in the Norwegian Parliament. He has also been involved in various organizations, last in the Norwegian Support Committee
for Chechnya
.
as the son of a vicar
and a teacher, he took his secondary education at Hamar Cathedral School
in 1953. He spent one year in the His Majesty The King's Guard
before enrolling in higher education. In 1959 he graduated from the Heriot-Watt University
as an engineer. During his time here, he had chaired the British chapter of the Alliance of Norwegian Students Abroad
from 1957 to 1959.
From 1960 to 1965 he worked for the Ministry of Works in the Northern Region
, at that time a federal division of Nigeria
, and from 1965 to 1969 he worked for Norconsult
in Uganda
and other countries. From 1969 to 1970 he worked with civil relief during the Nigerian Civil War
. He then spent one year in Asplan before settling in Vinje, Telemark
to run a private business. Ultimately, from 1982 to 1985, he was chief administrative officer in Vinje municipality.
in the Ministry of the Environment
in 1972, when the cabinet Korvald assumed office. He lost this job when the cabinet Korvald fell following the 1973 election
. However, he was elected mayor of Vinje municipality in 1975, and served through one four-year term. He was then a member of the municipal council for three years, sitting in the executive committee. He had chaired the local party chapter in Oslo from 1969 to 1971, and chaired the regional chapter in Telemark from 1979 to 1981. During both these periods he was a member of the national board of the Centre Party.
Godal was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Telemark
in 1985
, but had changed his allegiance to the Conservative Party
. He was re-elected in 1989
, 1993
and 1997
, finally retiring ahead of the 2001 election
. During the first term he was a member of the Standing Committee on Energy and Industry. In 1989 he changed to the Standing Committee on Defence, as well as serving one month as a member of the Enlarged Foreign Affairs Committee. During the last two terms he was a full member of both these committees.
Godal had previously been involved in defence politics as vice president of the pro-military
organization Norges Forsvarsforening from 1985 to 1987. He also chaired the regional chapter of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
from 1975 to 1979, the nationwide hydropower
interest group Nationwide Association of Hydropower Municipalities
from 1977 to 1985, and the Norwegian Support Committee for Chechnya
from 2002 to 2007. He is currently a member of the board of the latter organization.
He has published several non-fiction books about different countries. His 2003 book Tsjetsjenia: der enkene blir selvmordsbombere (Chechnya: Where the Widows Become Suicide Bombers) included a preface written by Anna Politkovskaya
.
Centre Party (Norway)
The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its...
and later the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
. For the former party he was a State Secretary
State Secretary (Norway)
In Norway, a State Secretary is a partisan political position within the executive branch of government. Contrary to the position Secretary of State in many other countries, the Norwegian State Secretary does not head his or her Ministry, rather, they are second in rank to a Minister...
as well as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Vinje
Vinje
Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.-Name:...
; for the latter party he served four terms in the Norwegian Parliament. He has also been involved in various organizations, last in the Norwegian Support Committee
Norwegian Support Committee for Chechnya
-Organization:Non-partisan, its purpose is to "work for immediate, total and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces [from Chechnya] and for the right of the Chechen people to autonomy"...
for Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
.
Professional career
Born in AkerAker, Norway
Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...
as the son of a vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
and a teacher, he took his secondary education at Hamar Cathedral School
Hamar katedralskole
Hamar katedralskole is an upper secondary school in Hamar, Norway. Founded in 1153 as Schola cathedralis hamarensis, it is the second oldest school in Norway together with Bergen katedralskole and Oslo katedralskole, which were founded the same year, one year after the founding of Trondheim...
in 1953. He spent one year in the His Majesty The King's Guard
Hans Majestet Kongens Garde
Hans Majestet Kongens Garde is a battalion of the Norwegian Army. The battalion has two main roles; it serves as the Norwegian King's bodyguards, guarding the royal residences and Akershus Fortress in Oslo, and is also the main infantry unit responsible for the defence of...
before enrolling in higher education. In 1959 he graduated from the Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
as an engineer. During his time here, he had chaired the British chapter of the Alliance of Norwegian Students Abroad
Alliance of Norwegian Students Abroad
The Association of Norwegian Students Abroad is a non-profit and membership based organisation aiming to voice the educational, cultural, political and economic interests of Norwegian students studying outside Norway and to promote overseas students as a valuable resource to domestic employers.As...
from 1957 to 1959.
From 1960 to 1965 he worked for the Ministry of Works in the Northern Region
Northern Region, Nigeria
The Northern Region was one of Nigeria's federal divisions. It was created before independence in 1960, with its capital at Kaduna. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the British Northern Cameroons, who had voted to become part of Nigeria....
, at that time a federal division of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, and from 1965 to 1969 he worked for Norconsult
Norconsult
Norconsult is Norway's and one of Scandinavia's largest multidisciplinary engineering and design consultancies. The company was founded in 1929, and has its headquarters in Sandvika, just outside Oslo, Norway. Norconsult has about 1850 employees, of which about 400 work outside of Norway...
in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and other countries. From 1969 to 1970 he worked with civil relief during the Nigerian Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
. He then spent one year in Asplan before settling in Vinje, Telemark
Vinje
Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.-Name:...
to run a private business. Ultimately, from 1982 to 1985, he was chief administrative officer in Vinje municipality.
Political career
A member of the Centre Party, he was appointed State SecretaryState Secretary (Norway)
In Norway, a State Secretary is a partisan political position within the executive branch of government. Contrary to the position Secretary of State in many other countries, the Norwegian State Secretary does not head his or her Ministry, rather, they are second in rank to a Minister...
in the Ministry of the Environment
Norwegian Ministry of the Environment
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of the Environment is a Norwegian ministry established in 1972. The ministry is responsible for environmental issues in Norway. It is led by the Minister of the Environment, Erik Solheim...
in 1972, when the cabinet Korvald assumed office. He lost this job when the cabinet Korvald fell following the 1973 election
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1973
-Results:¹A coalition of the Socialist People's Party , the Communist Party of Norway , and anti-European Economic Community individuals from the Labour Party. The coalition evolved into the Socialist Left Party in 1975....
. However, he was elected mayor of Vinje municipality in 1975, and served through one four-year term. He was then a member of the municipal council for three years, sitting in the executive committee. He had chaired the local party chapter in Oslo from 1969 to 1971, and chaired the regional chapter in Telemark from 1979 to 1981. During both these periods he was a member of the national board of the Centre Party.
Godal was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
in 1985
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1985
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 9 September 1985.-Results:...
, but had changed his allegiance to the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
. He was re-elected in 1989
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1989
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 11 September 1989.-Results:1 This list was a cooperation between the Norwegian Communist Party, Workers' Communist Party, Red Electoral Alliance and independent socialists....
, 1993
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1993
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 13 September 1993. The Labour Party won a plurality of seats, and Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland remained in office. The Centre Party was particularly successful, gaining 21 seats....
and 1997
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1997
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 15 September 1997. Before the election, Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland of the Labour Party, issued the 36.9 ultimatum declaring that the government would step down unless it gained 36.9% of the vote, the percentage gained...
, finally retiring ahead of the 2001 election
Norwegian parliamentary election, 2001
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on September 10, 2001. The Labour Party won a plurality of votes and seats, closely followed by the Conservative Party...
. During the first term he was a member of the Standing Committee on Energy and Industry. In 1989 he changed to the Standing Committee on Defence, as well as serving one month as a member of the Enlarged Foreign Affairs Committee. During the last two terms he was a full member of both these committees.
Godal had previously been involved in defence politics as vice president of the pro-military
Norwegian Armed Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to mobilisation plans , the strength during full mobilisation would be approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has mandatory military service for men and voluntary service for women...
organization Norges Forsvarsforening from 1985 to 1987. He also chaired the regional chapter of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities is an employers' organisation in Norway.It was founded in 1972 as a merger between the Union of Norwegian Cities and the Norwegian Association of Rural Municipalities...
from 1975 to 1979, the nationwide hydropower
Hydropower
Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
interest group Nationwide Association of Hydropower Municipalities
Landssamanslutninga av Vasskraftkommunar
Landssamanslutninga av Vasskraftkommunar is a Norwegian interest group. It groups municipalities that are involved in hydropower production....
from 1977 to 1985, and the Norwegian Support Committee for Chechnya
Norwegian Support Committee for Chechnya
-Organization:Non-partisan, its purpose is to "work for immediate, total and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces [from Chechnya] and for the right of the Chechen people to autonomy"...
from 2002 to 2007. He is currently a member of the board of the latter organization.
He has published several non-fiction books about different countries. His 2003 book Tsjetsjenia: der enkene blir selvmordsbombere (Chechnya: Where the Widows Become Suicide Bombers) included a preface written by Anna Politkovskaya
Anna Politkovskaya
Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist, author, and human rights activist known for her opposition to the Chechen conflict and then-President of Russia Vladimir Putin...
.