The President of the Norwegian Storting (Norwegian parliament) and the Norwegian Nobel Committee Thorbjorn Jagland was today elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe by the organization's Parliamentary Assembly.

Thorbjorn Jagland received an absolute majority of 165 votes, Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, -80 votes out of 245 possible.
Thorbjorn Jagland will be sworn in as CE Secretary General on October 1, 2009, Council of Europe Press Service reported.