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Thorbjorn Jagland

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World Leader

The Resume

    (November 5, 1950- )
    Born in Drammen, Norway
    Birth name was Thorbjorn Johansen
    Prime minister of Norway (1996-97)
    Minister of Foreign Affairs (2000-01)
    Labour Party secretary (1986-92) and leader (1992-2002)
    Named Secretary-General of the Council of Europe (2009)
    Named chair of the Nobel Peace Prize committee (2009)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was listed as a 'confidential contact' in KGB files.
    His short stint as prime minister was marred by several scandals, including the resignation of two cabinet ministers.
    His predecessor as PM and Labour Party leader, Gro Harlem Brundtland, called him 'stupid' for his tactics in the 1997 elections.
    He grabbed talk show host Synnove Svabo's breasts on national TV (1998).
    As foreign minister, he made a joke about meeting 'Bongo from Congo' that was considered racially insensitive.
    He was considered the main instigator behind the controversial decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama during his first year as president (2009).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He said of the KGB allegations that he held diplomatic talks with Soviet labor unions and that all conversations were innocent exchanges between them.
    His response to Brundtland's criticism was 'I would never describe another person in those terms.'
    He took being hit with a pie before a May Day parade in stride (2001).
    He recommended sending more Norwegian troops to Afghanistan, saying 'If NATO is demanding them, Norway should contribute.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 87.50% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 28 Votes: 21.43% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 19 Votes: 52.63% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 18 Votes: 61.11% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 20 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 65 Votes: 73.85% Annoying