Stephen Bråthen (born 2 September 1964) is a Norwegian politician formerly representing the Progress Party. He was born in

Lørenskog is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. A suburb of Oslo, it is part of the Oslo urban area and the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipa ...

. He took a basic education in economics before enrolling in the

Norwegian Armed Forces The Norwegian Armed Forces () are the armed forces responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Norwegian Coast Guard, Coast Guard, the Royal Norwegian Air ...

. He served in the

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 425 and Unit ...

from 1985 to 1986. From 1986 to 1989 he worked in the bank

Den norske Creditbank Den norske Creditbank or DnC is a defunct Norwegian commercial bank created in 1857. In 1990 it merged with Bergen Bank to create Den norske Bank (DnB). The bank was based in Oslo and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange Oslo Stock Exchange () ( ...

, and from 1989 to 1993 he worked as an advisor for the Progress Party parliamentary group. He was a member of

Ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

from 1983 to 1987, then served as a deputy member for one period before entering the executive committee in 1991. He chaired the local chapter of the Progress Party from 1986 to 1989, and was a member of the national board from 1993 to 1994. In 1993 he won the second spot on the Progress Party nomination for the parliamentary election. Libertarian-leaning, incumbent MP

Jan Erik Fåne Jan Erik Fåne (born 25 September 1965 in Oslo) is a Norwegian politician for the Progress Party. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Akershus in 1989, but was not re-elected in 1993. On the local level, Fåne was a member of the exe ...

was offered the second spot, but rejected any spot but the first, and pulled out. Bråthen was elected, and served in the

Standing Committee on Finance The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance (SCOF) is a department related standing committee (DRSC) constituted by the Parliament of India comprising selected members of parliament for the purpose of legislative oversight on the policies an ...

. Following the

1994 Progress Party national convention The 1994 national convention of the Progress Party of Norway was held from 15 April to 17 April at the hotel Bolkesjø Turisthotell in Bolkesjø, Telemark. It was originally set up to be a normal convention with 157 delegates in a non-election y ...

he left the Progress Party. Ahead of the convention he had submitted party-critical resolutions together with Ellen Wibe,

Ellen Christine Christiansen Ellen Christine Christiansen (born 10 December 1964) is a Norwegian politician representing the Conservative Party and formerly the Progress Party. Born in Oslo, she finished her secondary education at Oslo Commerce School in 1983. She thereupo ...

, Oscar Hillgaar and

Roy Wetterstad Roy Nettum Wetterstad (born 22 March 1963) is a Norwegian politician formerly representing the Progress Party. He was born in Kongsberg. He attended commerce school in Kongsberg and Hønefoss from 1979 to 1982, then worked two years for the You ...

. The group had some support, but was a clear minority. He left the party two weeks after the convention, and continued the rest of the term as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

. There were talks of the Progress Party demanding to take over his seat in the prestigious Standing Committee on Finance, but this did not happen. From 1997 he has worked as information director for the Norwegian Institute of Public Accountants, except for the period 1998 to 1999 when he was managing director. He was also a lay judge in Indre Follo District Court from 1991 to 1993 and a board member of Sunnaas Hospital from 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brathen, Stephen 1964 births Living people Akershus politicians Progress Party (Norway) politicians People from Ski, Norway People from Lørenskog Members of the Storting 1993–1997