Overview
Per Almar Aas (11 June 1929 – 18 May 2014) was a Norwegian politician and educator best known for representing the Christian Democratic Party in national and local government. Born in Ballangen in northern Norway, he combined practical working-class experience with later service as a schoolteacher and a long political career that included several terms in the Norwegian Parliament and sustained participation in his party's regional and national bodies. His political work focused on representing the interests of Troms county and contributing to party organization at different levels.
Early life and non-political career
Aas grew up in Ballangen and spent his early working life as a manual labourer in several Norwegian communities. Between the mid-1940s and the early 1950s he worked in Ballangen, Snåsa, Ørsta and Volda, gaining firsthand experience of rural and industrial Norway in the post-war decades. In 1969 he settled in Harstad and took up work as a schoolteacher, a profession that informed his local profile and provided a link between grassroots concerns and public service.
Political career
Per Almar Aas was active in local government before entering national politics. He served on Harstad municipal council from 1967 to 1971 and was a member of Troms county council from 1971 to 1975. Within his party he chaired the Troms county chapter from 1970 to 1973 and later held seats on the national party board in two periods, 1970–1973 and 1985–1999. Aas represented the Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) as a voice for regional concerns.
Nationally, Aas first served as a deputy representative in the Storting during the term 1969–1973 and was elected as a full representative from Troms in 1973. He was subsequently re-elected three times, serving four consecutive terms in the Norwegian Parliament (Storting), a tenure that spanned much of the 1970s and 1980s. In Norway the parliamentary term lasts four years, and during his time in the Storting Aas participated in legislative work typical for members of parliament representing sparsely populated northern constituencies.
Roles and responsibilities
- Local council member — Harstad municipal council (1967–1971).
- County council participation — Troms county council (1971–1975).
- Party leadership — chaired Troms county chapter and served on the national board in two periods.
- Parliamentary service — deputy representative (1969–1973) and elected representative beginning in 1973, with three subsequent re-elections.
Later life and legacy
After leaving regular parliamentary duties Aas continued to be involved in party work and public life in northern Norway. His trajectory from manual labour through teaching to national politics illustrates a common mid-20th-century pattern in Norwegian public life, where local roots and professional experience formed the basis for political representation. Per Almar Aas died in Oslo at age 84 on 18 May 2014 (Oslo), remembered in his region for steady service and long-term commitment to the Christian Democratic Party and to the communities of Troms.
For more information about the institutions and regions associated with Aas one may consult general references on the Norwegian parliamentary system and the history of the Christian Democratic Party in Norway. Key aspects of his career—local council work, county representation and national parliamentary duties—reflect the multiple layers of public service that characterize Norway's political system.