Raymond Johansen


Raymond Johansen is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party who has been Governing Mayor of Oslo since 2015.

Early life and education

Johansen was born in Oslo and was a plumber by trade.

Career

Originally a member of the Socialist Left Party, he chaired their youth wing Socialist Youth from 1986 to 1988 and was a member of the central party board from 1986 to 1991. He chaired the local party chapter in Oslo from 1990 to 1991, and was city commissioner of the environment and transport in the city government of Oslo from 1991 to 1995. He was not re-elected in 1995, and left the Socialist Left Party.
He then worked in the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation from 1996 to 2000 and was secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council from 2002 to 2005. In 2002 he briefly worked at the Norwegian embassy in Asmara. During the first and second cabinet Stoltenberg he was State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On 18 March 2007, Johansen met with members of the newly elected Hamas unity government and announced that Norway would resume economic aid. He also expressed hope that other European states would follow their lead.
On 21 April 2009 he was elected as Party Secretary of the Labour Party on its national convention, following the footsteps of his uncle, Thorbjørn Berntsen. The position is traditionally both powerful and influential. He was sometimes mentioned in party circles as a possible candidate to succeed party leader Jens Stoltenberg but did not candidate and Stoltenberg was succeeded by Jonas Gahr Støre. Following the 2015 local elections he became governing mayor of Oslo.
He is married with two children, and resides in Oslo. From 1999 to 2001 he was a member of the board of Vålerenga Fotball.