Morten Steenstrup

Morten Steenstrup was a Norwegian barrister and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, Stenstrup served as a member of the Storting for Vestfold from 1981 to 1989, having previously served as a deputy member from 1977 to 1981. He also served as a state secretary in the Second Willoch cabinet from 1985 to 1986 and was most recently the leader of the Oslo Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024.

Life and career

Steenstrup was born in Tønsberg on 4 April 1953, to Petter Chr. Steenstrup and Kari Bertnes. He was elected representative to the Storting for the period 1981-1985 for the Conservative Party, and reelected for the period 1985-1989.
On 1 December 2021, he was designated as the new leader of the Oslo Conservatives after Heidi Nordby Lunde announced in October that she wouldn't be seeking re-election. He was formally elected on 22 January 2022. After leading the Oslo Conservatives to victory in the 2023 local elections, Steenstrup announced a week later that he wouldn't be seeking re-election as leader. He stated that he had aimed to secure his party an electoral victory before the end of his term, which he did ultimately accomplish. He was succeeded by Mudassar Kapur at the next annual meeting on 27 January 2024.
Steenstrup died from cancer at his home in the Nordstrand area of Oslo, on 22 May 2025, at the age of 72.