Erna Solberg has had quite the political career so far: She’s been Leader of the Conservative Party of Norway since 2004, she became the country’s prime minister in 2013, and despite the waning (but still very significant) popularity of Pokémon Go, she’s still dedicated to the game. She cares about it so much, in fact, that during a recent debate in Norway’s parliament, she was caught playing the game (via The Guardian).
A photo taken from behind definitely shows Solberg playing the game, in the overworld looking for Pokémon to catch, but sadly, it doesn’t look like there were many around. That doesn’t mean she hasn’t caught plenty of Pokés in her day: Since she “was challenged by my younger sister who found a Pokémon on my veranda,” she’s become a Pokémon Go fanatic. Back in August during a work trip to Slovakia, she, along with body guards and a camera crew, hit the streets, phone in hand, with some specific goals: She was looking for Pokémon, yes, but her main concern was hatching some eggs.
Haha, herregud. @erna_solberg spilte pokemon Go i Stortinget under #trontaledebatten … mens @Trinesg sto pÃ¥ talerstolen! pic.twitter.com/WwagLoJit7
â Eivind Trædal (@eivindtraedal) October 5, 2016
In a funny twist, the person speaking in parliament while Solberg was caught playing the game was Trine Skei Grande, the leader of Norway’s liberal party who was caught playing the game during a meeting regarding national security back in August. Naturally, Grande understood Solberg’s situation, tweeting after the fact, “She heard what I said, we ladies can do two things at the same time you know.”
Solberg was also quoted as saying, “I think that Trine will like that I opened the game while she was at the pulpit.” So long as the country’s able to function while its leaders are obsessed with Pokémon Go, we see no reason why they can’t catch ’em all.
Featured image: Kjetil Ree