The Norwegian Finance Minister Per-Kristian Foss, who made headlines earlier this month when he legally wed his gay partner was installed as Norway's acting prime minister last Friday, reports Reuters.

The 52-year-old, a long time member of Norway's parliament and member of the Conservative Party is believed to be the first openly gay man to head a government -- even if it was just in an acting capacity.

Norway?s Prime Minister, Kjell Magne Bondevik was on a trip to South Korea while his normal stand-in, Foreign Minister Jan Petersen, was also out of the country - in Spain.

"I think that this, perhaps, can have a small impact on the discussion (of gay rights) also in other countries," Foss told Reuters after his meeting with King Harald.

He had previously described his marriage to Jan Erik Knarbakk, a director of Norwegian media group Schibsted ASA, as a private affair when he spoke to reporters about his marriage.

Foss expressed some surprise that it could generate headlines around the world. "I see that many newspapers are writing about it and that's nice," he said, "but I don't think about it that much. I have a job to do, and I'm doing my job regardless of partnership or not."

Norway was the world's second country after Denmark to allow lesbian and gay marriages.

Under the 1993 law, gay couples have the same legal rights as non-gay couples, except they can only adopt children under very rare circumstances. In recent years, about 150 gay couples a year have registered partnership in Norway.