Kjell Ingolf Ropstad


Kjell Ingolf Ropstad is a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party, who is the Minister of Children, Family and Church Affairs and the leader of the Christian Democratic Party since 2019. He has been a member of the Norwegian Parliament Stortinget since 2009.

Personal background and education

Kjell Ingolf Ropstad was born in Arendal in 1985 to teacher Gunda Wiberg and Bjørn Alfred Ropstad, who is the current mayor of Evje og Hornnes. He has a bachelor's degree in law and economics.

Political career

He was a member of Evje og Hornes municipality council from 2003–2007, and the county council in Aust-Agder from 2003–2007.
He was the leader of the Youth of the Christian People's Party, the youth wing of the Christian Democratic Party, from 2007–2010. He had previously been deputy leader since 2005.
He served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Aust-Agder during the term 2005–2009. He was elected a representative from Aust-Agder for the period 2009–2013.
From late 2018 to early 2019, he led the party’s negotiations to enter the Solberg Cabinet after the path choice initiated by then leader Knut Arild Hareide. When negotiations were finished, he alongside to other party members, were appointed to the cabinet. Ropstad himself became Minister of Children and Family Affairs,and was also subsequently elected party leader in April the same year.
The week before 26 May 2020, Ropstad stated that the Christian Democrats would add changes to the Biotechnology law. He and his party attempted to secure more conservative Progress Party members, but when the Storting voted the week after, the party suffered a major loss in reforming the law. Instead, the other government parties, along with all opposistion parties, voted for their own changes, which marked the first change in the law since 2004.
From 2 June 2020, Ropstad took parental leave as minister, and Ida Lindtveit Røse took over in acting capacity.