Progress Party. This is as he in his first term as mayor achieved full kindergarten coverage, full nursing home coverage and started a program of well-being and health journeys to Spain and related locations. It was also established a "full" stop of immigration and a local Vinmonopol store. Successful in being consecutively elected as mayor from 2003 to 2007, in this term the main issues was development of the city centre, better drug addiction recovery programs, development of schools and construction of a waterpark. While the municipality was struggling with large deficits before Søviknes became mayor, this has since been turned into a significant surplus as of 2004. His successful career as mayor of Os has gained him the nickname the "Wizard of Os" by the media. Minister of Petroleum and Energy On 20 December 2016, Søviknes was appointed Minister of Petroleum and Energy in the Solberg Cabinet, succeeding fellow party member Tord Lien. In October 2017, he was found to have misinformed the Storting about a controversial petroleum project's finalisation date. The project was scheduled to be finished in 2022, three years after what Søviknes had previously stated. He resigned in late August 2018 citing family reasons, and instead returned to become mayor of Os, a position he held for a year until Os was merged with Fusa to become Bjørnafjorden municipality in 2020. Minister of the Elderly and Public Health In December 2019, Erna Solberg commenced a reshuffle where she appointed Søviknes to become Minister of the Elderly and Public Health succeeding fellow party member Sylvi Listhaug, who had been appointed as Minister of Petroleum and Energy. Like Listhaug, his term was cut short after a month when the Progress Party withdrew from the government, citing conflict within the government about bringing an ISIS associated woman and her sick children home. Second term as deputy leader Søviknes was re-elected as the party's second deputy leader at the party congress on 5 May 2019, succeeding Ketil Solvik-Olsen who didn't stand for re-election citing family reasons. In 2021, following Siv Jensen's announced departure as party leader, Søviknes said he was open to continue as second deputy leader if Listhaug was elected her successor. Listhaug was subsequently elected party leader at the party convention, with Ketil Solvik-Olsen as first deputy leader, while Søviknes was re-elected as second deputy. Personal life Søviknes married his first wife, Janniche Askeland in 1998 and they