CONTROL DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

There is provided a control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which can favorably reduce a load necessary for cranking at the time of the next start, while preventing the fresh air inflow to a catalyst at the time of the stop of the internal combustion engine. A valve stop command is issued to an electrically-driven actuator (130) so that the operational states of intake and exhaust valves (58, 60) becomes a valve closed/stopped state when fuel supply is stopped in response to an establishment of a predetermined stop condition of the internal combustion engine (12). Then, to return the operational states of the intake and exhaust valves (58, 60) to a valve operating state after the completion of the stopping operation of the internal combustion engine (12), a valve return command is issued to the actuator (130), and a crankshaft (70) is rotationally driven by a predetermined angle required to return the operational states of the intake and exhaust valves (58, 60) to the valve operating state.