Dag Terje Andersen new Speaker of Parliament

The Norwegian Labour Party’s parliamentary group today decided that Dag Terje Andersen, at present Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion, will be the new Speaker of Parliament. He will be elected by the new Parliament when it constitutes itself on 8 October. Andersen will succeed Thorbjørn Jagland, who did not run for re-election, but who was elected Secretary-General of the Council of Europe yesterday.
As Labour is the biggest party in Parliament the position as Speaker of Parliament, second in rank only to the King, is filled by a Labour politician. They will also have one other seat in the Presidium and today nominated Marit Nybakk, one of the longest-serving MPs, to be one of the five Vice-Speakers.
Labour’s parliamentary group also decided that Helga Pedersen will be the party’s parliamentary leader. Pedersen is currently Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs as well as Deputy Leader of the party and was elected to Parliament for the first time this autumn.
As the Constitution stipulates that one cannot sit in Parliament and be a member of the government at the same time, both Andersen and Pedersen will have to resign from the government before taking up their new positions in Parliament. This will probably happen at the State Council due to be held at the Royal Palace on Friday. As a major cabinet reshuffle is expected after the presentation of the fiscal budget on 13 October the two ministers will probably not be immediately replaced.

Labour’s press announcement:
http://arbeiderpartiet.no/Aktuelt/Nyhetsarkiv/Partiet/Helga-Pedersen-ny-parlamentarisk-leder