Helge Solum Larsen

Helge Solum Larsen
Solum Larsen in 2009
First Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
In office 17 April 2010 – 7 February 2012
Leader	Trine Skei Grande
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Ola Elvestuen
Personal details
Born	(1969-01-14)14 January 1969 Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway
Died	18 December 2015(2015-12-18) (aged 46) Oslo, Norway
Political party	Liberal
Children	2

Helge Solum Larsen (14 January 1969 – 18 December 2015) was a Norwegian businessman and politician for the Liberal Party. He served as deputy leader of the party from 2010 to 2012.

Early life and education

Solum Larsen was a goldsmith by education.[1]

Political career

From 1994 to 1997 he was leader of the Young Liberals of Norway, the youth wing of the Liberal Party.[1][2] He served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Rogaland during the terms 1997–2001 and 2005–2009.[3]

In local politics he served several terms on the Stavanger city council, beginning as an alternate in 1987 and a full representative in 1991.[4][5] He chaired the city's Liberal Party chapter from 2000 to 2005 and the countywide party chapter from 2005 to 2010.[1] In 2008 he was elected to the national party board. He was elected deputy leader of the Liberal Party at the 2010 party convention.[2]

In February 2012, Solum Larsen resigned from all his party positions after a 17-year-old girl accused him of raping her at the Rogaland Liberal Party's annual congress in Suldal;[6][7][8] he said that only consensual sex had occurred,[9][10] and was briefly admitted to the psychiatric clinic at Stavanger University Hospital.[6][8] In October the Rogaland public prosecutor declined to pursue the case.[9][11] The decision was appealed,[12] but in January 2013, the Norwegian Prosecuting Authority also declined to prosecute, effectively dismissing the charges due to lack of evidence.[13] He left the Liberal Party,[2] but returned to politics in January 2014[14] and continued to serve on the Stavanger city council as an independent until October 2015.[4]

Political positions

In local politics, Solum Larsen worked for integration and job opportunities for immigrants and for treatment-based policies towards drug addicts.[4] He actively defended the wooden buildings of Stavanger.[5] He was largely responsible for averting the digging up of Nytorget, and demolition of several of these, for the construction of an underground carpark.[15][16] In the area of development and transport, he was an advocate for railways who was largely responsible for the national government's decision in 2005 to double-track the railway in the Stavanger/Sandnes urban region,[1][17] and argued for light rail being central in the regional transport plan.[4][18][19] He was also involved in the discussions concerning the Ryfast tunnel connection and the new E39; he was influential in routing tunnels to benefit residents of Hundvåg, but his proposal for lengthening an E39 tunnel to reduce the impact on Tasta was rejected.[20][21][22]

Personal life and death

Solum Larsen had two children. He died from a cerebral haemorrhage on 18 December 2015.[2][4][5]

References

1. "Helge Solum Larsen" (in Norwegian). Rogaland Liberal Party. 2007-02-22. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
2. "Helge Solum Larsen er død" (in Norwegian). ABC Nyheter. NTB. 2015-12-19. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
3. "Helge Solum Larsen" (in Norwegian). Storting.
4. "Minneord om Helge Solum Larsen (1969 – 2015)" (in Norwegian). Stavanger Liberal Party. 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
5. Eriksen, Nicolai; Bergsaker, Tore (2015-12-19). "Helge Solum Larsen er død". Dagbladet (in Norwegian).
6. Jensen, Ingeborg Marie; Helle, Lars; Sandø, Toralf; Aarre, Eivind (2012-02-08) [2012-02-07]. "Solum Larsen anmeldt for voldtekt". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian).
7. Hagesæther, Pål (2012-02-08). "Et tillitsbrudd". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2015-12-30.
8. Løset, Kjetil (2012-02-08). "Venstre nestleder anmeldt for voldtekt" (in Norwegian). TV 2. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
9. Peters, Tim (2012-10-03). "Skei Grande: - Jeg håper begge fortsatt vil ha kontakt med meg". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian).
10. Teige, Ingvil (2012-06-15). "Solum Larsen-saken ikke klar før etter sommeren" (in Norwegian). TV 2. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
11. Tonstad, Per Lars; Prestegård, Sofie; Thømt Ruud, Hans-Martin (2012-10-03). "- Hun er helt knust". Dagbladet (in Norwegian).
12. "Anker henleggelsen av Solum Larsen saken". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 October 2012.
13. Jupskås, Stein Halvor (2013-01-22). "Saken mot Solum-Larsen henlegges". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2013-02-01.
14. Jupskås, Stein Halvor (2014-01-14). "Solum Larsen tilbake på jobb på 45-årsdagen". Stavanger Aftenbladet (in Norwegian).
15. Jupskås, Stein Halvor (2009-05-22). "- Fjellhall vil berge Nytorget". Stavanger Aftenbladet (in Norwegian).
16. Gill, Henriette (2009-12-07). "- Mulig å bygge fjellhall". Dagsavisen (in Norwegian).
17. "Statsbudsjettet 2006: Jernbaneføremål: Nær 6 milliardar kroner" (press release) (in Norwegian). Government of Norway, Ministry of Transport and Communications. 2005-10-14.
18. Olsen, Julie Teresa (2007-05-04). "Penger til bybane kan komme til høsten". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian).
19. Nordmark, Ingvald; Berntsen Jåsund, Cecilie (2015-10-19). "Kan bli bybane mellom Forus og Sola". NRK Rogaland.
20. Gjerseth Olsen, Knut (2007-11-12). "Eiganestunnelen blir kort". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian).
21. Gjerseth Olsen, Knut (2008-11-06). "Stavanger sier ja til Ryfast". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian).
22. Gjerseth Olsen, Knut (2008-12-09). "Ja takk til Ryfast og Eiganestunnel". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian).

Preceded by Per Tore Woie

Leader of Young Liberals of Norway 1994–1997

Succeeded by Sverre Molandsveen