2020
By May,the government lifted restrictions and allowed children's football to be in close contact while playing,effective 15 June. [14]
The month after,he expressed shock after learning that the NIF had lacked to make reports and work more effectively against racism. He demanded that they'd make a report on racism. The NIF expressed appreciation for Raja's initiative and that they will work constructively together to fight racism in sports. [15]
In July,the government allowed for foreign film production to take place in Norway,with Raja himself approving that Tom Cruise and the crew of Mission:Impossible –Dead Reckoning Part One being allowed to shoot in Møre og Romsdal in August. [16]
In mid-August,he announced his final decision to run for the Liberal Party leadership to succeed outgoing Trine Skei Grande,becoming the second Liberal politician to announce their intention to seek the leadership after Sveinung Rotevatn. Raja was however open to becoming deputy leader if the party wished for it. [17]
On 23 August,he was designated deputy leader of the party,with Rotevatn as first deputy and Melby as party leader,unanimously by the party's election committee. [18] At the party conference in September,he was elected second deputy leader,with Melby as leader and Rotevatn as first deputy,unopposed. [19]
On 30 September,the government announced that contact training for broad sports would be allowed from 12 October,and at the same time would allow for a larger field of audiences to attend matches. Raja also stated that every municipality should evaluate themselves whether or not it's safe to allow contact training. [20]
The government took a u-turn after it had not included Sámi culture and museums in their COVID-19 budget support package. Raja expressed in November that there was no doubt that the pandemic had affected the Sámi culture life equally. He added that the government had put forward 1,2 million NOK in support of Sámi museums,and proposed 400,000 NOK to Sámi stage art. [21]
Raja condemned harassment against Sámi people in December,after a Sámi woman was told by two elderly women on a bus in Tromsø to shut up speaking Sámi. He stated that he and the government stood behind the Sámi people,and expressed it was important for such events to see the light of day. [22]
2021
In February 2021,he faced controversy when it was revealed that 68,6 million NOK of the incentive pot was given to production of Mission:Impossible 8. Producer Synnøve Hørsdal said that "Norway shouldn't waste 70 million NOK so that Raja can get a new selfie with [Tom] Cruise". She also expressed that the budget should have been spent on Norwegian productions rather than foreign ones during the COVID-19 pandemic. Raja defended the spending,stating that it was the Mission:Impossible production's own decision to apply for filming in the country,and the fact that they were allowed,was decided by the NFI and not him. [23]
A "summer group" set up by Raja consisting of event hosts and professionals concluded in March 2021 that summer events and festivals could return to normal by summer. Raja expressed gratitude for the group's findings and encouraged them to continue their for as long as necessary,and sympathised that people wants to return to a normal summer,but that many factors are at play. The summer group themselves further expressed that necessary restrictions would still be necessary to further open up for as many as possible. They also proposed quick testing at festival sights and digital immune passports for people to use to prove they have been vaccinated or tested. [24]
Following a controversial tweet by former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt commemorating the events of the German occupation of Norway,Raja stated "9 April was one of the saddest and darkest days in Norwegian history. I was not just shocked and disappointed,but also a little bit hurt,when I saw the tweet". He further stated "I had hoped that our closest neighbour was more sympathetic to how this day is looked back on by Norwegians and Norwegian jews. And I hope Bildt will realize how he with his tweet hurt many in Norway. It is allowed to regret,and withdraw his tweet". He was supported by Conservative member of parliament Lene Westgaard-Halle,who stated that Sweden "let Hitler invade Norway". [25]
Raja announced in June 2021,the governments intention to make "Norway the first country to be free of racism". He further stated that it would be possible during his lifetime through self-knowledge,action plans and more funds. The proposal was criticised by the Red Party and Labour Party,the former calling it a lack of mercy three months before the election. The latter stated that the government had done too little in regards to racism despite their promises to do so. Raja's proposal did however receive full support from UNICEF Norway,whose director called it an "ambitious goal" and important. [26]
Raja attended the film festival in Cannes in July 2021 for the film The Worst Person in the World directed by Joachim Trier. It was reported that he had to go to a dentist after expressing pain in a tooth,and he also fainted at a pharmacy when picking up antibiotics. [27]
After the tenth anniversary of the 22 July attacks,Raja criticised Progress Party leader Sylvi Listhaug for her support of former Oslo mayor Fabian Stang's Facebook post where he criticised Labour Party leader Jonas Gahr Støre,and stated that he had made 22 July party politics. Raja expressed his support for the Workers' Youth League's uproar against the right wing extremism behind the attacks. He further stated that the Labour Party or Workers' Youth League have driven party politics using the attack as an argument,but rather the contrary and that they have been careful when using it. [28]
After NRK revealed that photos of female athletes had been circulated in a group on Reddit under sexual purposes in August 2021,Raja told NRK that “it is disgraceful that our female athletes have been sexualised and abused in this way”. He also added that the discovery makes it clear why athletes should choose their own clothing. He also said he was going to reach out to his other Nordic counterparts to set out a strong front in support of female athletes,in the fight against the leadership of the International Handball Federation. [29]
At the end of August,Raja issued a congratulations video to 15-year-old Aleksandra Javorac-Bore from Stavanger for receiving the Homofryd prize,after she told Stavanger Aftenblad back in April about her experiences of bullying and harassment due to her sexual orientation. Raja expressed he felt touched by her story and expressed that she had his and the Norwegian people's support. [30]
On 9 September,Raja announced that the aid scheme for the cultural sector would be expanded to last until at least the end of the year. [31]
On 24 September,Raja proposed a ban against foreign online game companies,notably Unibet,Betsson and ComeOn. Raja mentioned Denmark and France as examples,who also put in a similar ban. His proposal received mixed reception,with the Progress Party's Himanshu Gulati who called it “censorship,abuse of power and an attack on the free Internet reminiscent of authoritarian dictatorships”. Several representatives from the mentioned companies either expressed they were following Norwegian law and didn't make profit as Raja accused them of. He did however receive praise from Norsk Tipping,who saw the proposal as an extension of the government's already proposed new gambling law. [32]
On 30 September,Raja and his Nordic counterparts issued a joint letter to the International Handball Federation calling for the rules to be changed for women's clothing. Raja personally expressed that he hoped the letter would make time for a change against what he described as discrimination and old fashioned. [33] The same day he opened the newly constructed Sola Arena in Sola municipality. [34]
Following the government's defeat in the 2021 parliamentary election,he was succeeded by Anette Trettebergstuen. [35]
