Strasbourg, France - Thorbjorn Jagland, an economist and former prime minister of Norway, was elected Tuesday to the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe, a 60-year-old organization which seeks to foster greater European integration and uphold human rights. Jagland received 165 votes from the council's parliamentary assembly, compared with 80 votes for rival candidate Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz of Poland.
Born on November 5, 1950, Jagland is a member of the Norwegian Labour Party. He also served as foreign minister and currently acts as president of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament.
The new secretary general replaces the outgoing chief, Terry Davis of Britain, who headed the organization from 2004 until the end of August.
Founded in 1949, the Council of Europe has 47 European member states, including Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Belarus and Kazakhstan have been excluded due to human rights concerns, while others such as Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh and Northern Cyprus are not allowed to join because they enjoy only limited recognition.
The Council of Europe seeks to enforce human rights through its European Court of Human Rights and is separate from the European Union.
