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Ulf Kristersson

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Ulf Kristersson
Kristersson at the EPP Congress in Rotterdam in May 2022
Prime Minister of Sweden
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 October 2022
MonarchCarl XVI Gustaf
DeputyEbba Busch
Preceded byMagdalena Andersson
Leader of the Moderate Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 October 2017
Deputy
Party Secretary
Preceded byAnna Kinberg Batra
Leader of the Opposition
In office
1 October 2017 – 18 October 2022
MonarchCarl XVI Gustaf
Prime Minister
Preceded byAnna Kinberg Batra
Succeeded byMagdalena Andersson
Minister for Social Security
In office
5 October 2010 – 3 October 2014
Prime MinisterFredrik Reinfeldt
Preceded byCristina Husmark Pehrsson
Succeeded byAnnika Strandhäll
Chairman of the Moderate Youth League
In office
26 November 1988 – 24 October 1992
Preceded byBeatrice Ask
Succeeded byFredrik Reinfeldt
Member of the Riksdag
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 October 2014
ConstituencySödermanland County
In office
5 October 1991 – 30 April 2000
ConstituencyStockholm Municipality
Personal details
Born
Ulf Hjalmar Kristersson

(1963-12-29) 29 December 1963 (age 60)
Lund, Sweden
Political partyModerate Party
Spouse
Birgitta Ed
​
(m. 1991)​
Children3
ResidenceSager House
Alma materUppsala University
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Branch/service Swedish Army
Years of service1983–1984

Ulf Hjalmar Ed Kristersson (born 29 December 1963) is a Swedish politician who has served as Prime Minister of Sweden since October 2022. He has been the leader of the Moderate Party (M) since October 2017 and a member of the Riksdag (MP) for Södermanland County since 2014 and for Stockholm County from 1991 to 2000.[1] He previously served as Minister for Social Security from 2010 to 2014 and as Chairman of the Moderate Youth League from 1988 to 1992.[2]

On 11 December 2014, he was appointed Shadow Finance Minister of the Moderate Party and economic policy spokesperson. On 1 October 2017 Kristersson was elected party leader of the Moderate Party after Anna Kinberg Batra stepped down.[3][4] Under his leadership, M has opened up to the Sweden Democrats (SD) and, by late 2021, had formed an informal right-wing alliance with them and two center-right parties of the dissolved Alliance. In the 2022 Swedish general election, that bloc obtained a majority in the Riksdag, leading to Kristersson's election as Prime Minister on 17 October.[5]

Biography

Early life

Ulf Kristersson was born in Lund, Skåne County, to Lars Kristersson (1938–2015) and Karin Kristersson.[6] The family moved to Torshälla outside Eskilstuna five years later.[7] In his youth, Kristersson was a troupe gymnast.[8] Kristersson finished secondary school at S:t Eskils gymnasium in Eskilstuna. After graduating, Kristersson did military service as a platoon commander at Uppland Regiment from 1983 to 1984[9] and completed a degree in economics at Uppsala University.[10]

Early political career

In connection with the 1985 Swedish general election, he was employed as a campaigner at the Moderate Youth League (MUF) in Sörmland.[11] On 26 November 1988, he rose to become the new Chairman of MUF, succeeding Beatrice Ask.[12] In 1991, the center-right Bildt Cabinet took power, and Kristersson became an MP.[13] He served on the Social Security Committee. He soon becomes a vocal critic of the government's crisis agreement with Social Democrats. At the time, Kristersson developed a friendship with the former party leader, Gösta Bohman, who, in some respects, also supported his criticism of the Bildt Cabinet.[14]

In 1992, Kristersson was challenged as chairman of MUF by Fredrik Reinfeldt.[15] The congress was preceded by considerable ideological divisions between liberals and conservatives. All this erupted at the congress in Lycksele, which came to be known as the Battle of Lycksele.[16] Kristersson, the liberal alternative, lost narrowly. It is said that his loss caused his withdrawal from front-line politics and he was subsequently known as part of the "Lost Generation" of the Moderate Party.[17] From 1995 to 1998, Kristersson was chief of marketing at Timbro, a free market think-tank, while also working in parliament. In 1994 he also released the book Non-working Generation at Timbros publishing company. In the book Kristersson argues against the welfare institutions in Sweden and compares these to apartheid because he considered these institutions to force people into passivity.[18]

Career outside politics

Kristersson left his parliamentary seat in April 2000, feeling that the new party leader Bo Lundgren had declined his services.[19] Kristersson worked for two years in the private sector, mainly as communications director and VP for the internet consultancy Adcore,[20] a dotcom crash casualty.

Kristersson was chairman of the Swedish Adoption Center (Adoptionscenter). During his time as chairman, information emerged that the centre handled adoptions of children trafficked from China.[21]

Municipal politics

He returned to active politics in 2002 as Commissioner (Mayor) for Finance in Strängnäs and served there until 2006.[7] In 2006, he was appointed Vice Mayor (Socialborgarråd) in Stockholm, responsible for the social welfare and labor division.[6] During this time Kristersson got a rental contract for a five-room apartment in central Stockholm from Ersta Diakonisällskap. Due to that, Stockholm city was contracting and gave economical aid to Ersta Diakonisällskap, that, among other things provided for housing for those in social need. An investigation was started and Kristersson and another person in the associations leadership were suspected of bribery. According to a internal policy document, the apartments in the building was reserved for those newly employed by the association and students at Marie Cederschiöld högskola. The investigation was closed with the motivation that Kristersson did not have direct influence over the aid that the association could give.[22] Fredrik Reinfeldt also asked Kristersson to lead the committee responsible for developing a new family policy for the party.[17] He immediately caused controversy by suggesting that fathers must take a month of paternity leave for the family to receive all benefits.[7] This was clearly conflicted with traditional Moderate Party policy, which has centered on individual choice.[7]

Return to national politics

On 5 October 2010, Fredrik Reinfeldt appointed Kristersson to become Minister of Social Security, a position he held for four years.[23] After the 2014 Swedish general election, the Reinfeldt cabinet resigned, but Kristersson was elected as MP again, this time for Södermanland County.[24] Following Reinfeldt's resignation as party leader, Anna Kinberg Batra appointed him as Shadow Finance Minister.[25]

Leader of the Moderate Party

Anna Kinberg Batra resigned as leader of the Moderates on 25 August 2017, after internal criticism.[26] Kristersson publicly decided to run for leadership on 1 September and was elected on 1 October.[27][28] The party saw a sharp increase in support in the polls, compared to the record low numbers under his predecessor Batra.[29][26] He has a harsher stance against immigration than his predecessors.[30][28]

2018–2019 government formation

Main article: 2018–2019 Swedish government formation

In September 2018, incumbent Prime Minister Stefan Löfven was ousted.[27] Kristersson expressed hope of becoming the next Prime Minister.[31][27] On 2 October, he was designated by Speaker of the Riksdag Andreas Norlén to form a new government.[32] He initially sought to form a government coalition involving the Alliance parties (Moderate Party, Centre Party, Christian Democrats and Liberals) with support from the Swedish Social Democratic Party (S). On 9 October, he said that S had rejected all further talks on agreements and that he would now seek other ways to form a new government.[33] On 14 October, he stated that he was not able to form a new government.[34]

On 5 November 2018, Speaker Norlén proposed Kristersson as Prime Minister following breakdowns in all other government negotiations.[35] On 14 November 2018, the Riksdag rejected Kristersson's bid to become Prime Minister by a vote of 195 to 154. It was the first time ever that a speaker's proposal for Prime Minister lost such a vote and the first time in 40 years that center-right parties (Centre Party and Liberals) vetoed a center-right candidate for Prime Minister.[36][37]

2019–present

Kristersson held a meeting in December 2019 with Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the Sweden Democrats, and said that he would cooperate with them in parliament. The anti-immigration party had previously been subject to a cordon sanitaire by all other parties, with Kristersson himself ruling out dialogue with them ahead of the 2018 elections. According to Ann-Cathrine Jungar of Södertörn University, this put Sweden in line with several other European countries in which center-right and radical-right parties cooperate.[38] In August 2020, he criticised the government for a perceived failure to deal with rising crime, including gun violence, which he called a "second pandemic".[39]

2021 government crisis

Main article: 2021 Swedish government crisis

On 29 June 2021, after Prime Minister Stefan Löfven was ousted, Speaker of the Riksdag Andreas Norlén formally tasked Kristersson with forming a government. Kristersson had until 3 July to report his potential government to Norlén.[40] Kristersson planned to lead a coalition of his own party along with the Christian Democrats, Liberals, and Sweden Democrats. On 1 July, Kristersson informed the Speaker that he did not have enough support to form a government and returned his mandate.[41]

2022 government formation

Main article: 2022 Swedish general election

Kristersson led the Moderate Party (M) during the 2022 campaign, in which his party lost parliamentary seats, as well as the second place position (for the first time since the 1976 Swedish general election); nonetheless, the right-wing bloc gained an absolute majority, resulting in Magdalena Andersson's resignation and Kristersson's nomination as Prime Minister by Speaker Andreas Norlén.[42] Kristersson signalled his preference for a coalition government between M, the Christian Democrats (KD) and Liberals (L) with external support from the Sweden Democrats (SD).[43]

On 14 October, Kristersson presented the fully documented Tidö Agreement (Tidöavtalet) between M, KD, L and SD.[44] This enabled the first three parties to seek a mandate for a new national administration to be chosen by the Riksdag, with SD given strong influence amounting to confidence and supply.[44] On 17 October, Kristersson was elected Prime Minister by 176 Riksdag votes for, and 173 votes against him, with no absentees or abstentions.[45][46] It is the first time SD has exerted direct government influence.[47] European Union lawmakers criticized the center-right and M in particular, as a member of the European People's Party, for allying with the far right,[48] as did opposition leaders.[49]

Prime Minister of Sweden (2022–present)

On 18 October 2022, Kristersson as per constitutional requirements was officially identified by the Swedish king as the new Prime Minister, having announced his program earlier that day in a speech to the Riksdag after which he had identified the members chosen for his cabinet.[50][51]

On 27 October 2022, Kristersson and Ebba Busch announced a 55 billion (SEK) subsidy compensation in connection to the high increase of power bills; the subsidy will only be paid out in the energy price zones three and four in the southern parts of Sweden.[52]

Foreign policy

See also: List of international prime ministerial trips made by Ulf Kristersson

Political positions and image

A 2018 political profile in The Local described Kristersson as exuding "nice guy vibes: smart, humble and reasonable, easygoing and open to discussion" while positioning him to the right of his predecessors on issues such as crime and immigration. He was also described in the same profile as representing the neoliberal wing of the Moderate Party (M).[53]

Kristersson with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2017.
Kristersson with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2017

Kristersson himself has described social mobility as one of his core concerns in politics.[54] In his first leadership speech, Kristersson stated that Sweden should become "a country for hopefuls" and that M should be "a party for hopefuls".[55] On the matter of asylum, Kristersson states that he supports the integration of refugees into Swedish society but argues for compulsory cultural assimilation[vague] and learning of the Swedish language, and that refugees be put to work and pay tax.[56]

Kristersson initially ruled out forming an alliance with the Sweden Democrats (SD) upon assuming party leadership; following the 2018 Swedish general election, he ended the policy of non-cooperation and met with SD's leadership for official talks.[57][58] Before the 2022 Swedish general election, Kristersson suggested that he would form a loose right-wing bloc consisting of M, the Christian Democrats (KD), Liberals (L) and SD but expressed uncertainty at SD's demand that they be allocated cabinet positions should the right-wing bloc win a majority.[59] Following the election, Kristersson signalled his ambition to form a new conservative government with support from SD.[60]

Personal life

Kristersson lives in Strängnäs.[61] He and his wife, Birgitta Ed, have adopted three children from China.[62][63] Kristersson is 169 centimeters (5' 5½") tall.[64]

References

  1. ^ "Ulf Kristersson (M) – Riksdagen". Riksdagen. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Kristersson blir M:s nya Borg". Dagens Industri. 11 December 2014. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  3. ^ Kristersson kandiderar till M-ledare Archived 14 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Published 1 September 2017
  4. ^ "Anna Kinberg Batra to leave politics". Sveriges Radio. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  5. ^ Cursino, Malu (17 October 2022). "Ulf Kristersson: Swedish parliament elects new PM backed by far right". BBC. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  6. ^ a b Ahlander, Johan (29 August 2018). "Sweden needs 'humble government' after election: frontrunner". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d "Kristersson vill bli Moderatledare". 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  8. ^ [1] Archived 19 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Published 1 September 2017
  9. ^ "CV | Ulf Kristersson" (PDF). Moderate Party. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Ulf Kristersson fjärde raka civilekonomen som styr Moderaterna". civilekonomen.se. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  11. ^ [TT: Nyvald ordförande kritiserar borgerlig trepartisamverkan] Published 26 November 1988
  12. ^ Nyheter, SVT (3 September 2017). "Så stred Kristersson och Reinfeldt om makten i Muf". SVT Nyheter. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  13. ^ Nyheter, SVT (20 September 2017). "Ulf Kristersson (M): Det måste du ha läst i en kommunistblaska". SVT Nyheter. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  14. ^ [2] Archived 23 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Dagens Nyheter. Published 18 September 1992.
  15. ^ "Who is Sweden's Moderate opposition leader Ulf Kristersson?". The Local Sweden. 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Terms of Service Violation". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Så ska Löfven och Kristersson agera – efter valet". Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Ulf Kristersson: "Den svenska modellen är som apartheid"". Dagens Arena (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  19. ^ [3] Archived 18 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine Published 30 September 2017
  20. ^ Söderström, Jan (12 October 2018). "Kristerssons jättekrasch". Aktuellt i Politiken (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  21. ^ "Kristersson svek de stulna barnen". Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  22. ^ TT (16 April 2008). "Kristersson frias från mutmisstankar". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Ulf Kristersson blir ny minister i Reinfeldts regering – Val 2010 – Expressen". Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  24. ^ Riksdagsförvaltningen. "Ulf Kristersson (M) – Riksdagen". riksdagen.se. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  25. ^ "Han blir Moderaternas skuggfinansminister". Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  26. ^ a b "Ex-gymnast opposition leader must be nimble to win in Sweden". 9 September 2018. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  27. ^ a b c "Swedish parliament votes out PM". BBC News. 25 September 2018. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  28. ^ a b Anderson, Christina (20 September 2018). "To End Stalemate, Will Sweden Include Far-Right Party in Government?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  29. ^ "Novus: Moderaterna ökar". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  30. ^ "Swedish opposition wants thougher stance". Financial Times. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  31. ^ Editorial, Reuters (9 September 2018). "Swedish center-right leader calls on PM Lofven to step down". Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2018. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  32. ^ SVT: Ulf Kristersson (M) får uppdraget att försöka bilda regering, 2018-10-02 Archived 22 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine (in Swedish)
  33. ^ fPlus: "Kristersson: Löfven avvisar Alliansregering – jag går vidare med sonderingar, 2018-10-10 Archived 10 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, (in Swedish)
  34. ^ Aftonbladet: "Ulf Kristersson ger upp försöken att bilda regering", 2018-10-14 Archived 18 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine, läst 14 October 2018 (in Swedish)
  35. ^ Ulf Kristersson proposed as new Prime Minister by the Speaker Archived 20 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine, 5 November 2018] (in Swedish)
  36. ^ "Swedish parliament rejects center-right prime minister, deadlock continues". Politico. 14 November 2018. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  37. ^ "Sweden Braces for Week of Political Turmoil as Nationalists Gain". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  38. ^ Milne, Richard (5 December 2019). "Mainstream Swedish party open to working with once-spurned nationalists". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  39. ^ Milne, Richard (30 August 2020). "Sweden's right seizes on crime to warn of 'second pandemic'". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  40. ^ "Talmannen gav sonderingsuppdrag till Ulf Kristersson". riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Stockholm: Swedish Parliament. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  41. ^ "Moderaterna ger upp försöken att bilda regering". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  42. ^ "Swedish center-right leader Ulf Kristersson claims election win, faces tough coalition talks". Politico. 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  43. ^ Auto, Hermes (19 September 2022). "Sweden's Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson gets nod to try form a new govt | The Straits Times". The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  44. ^ a b "Här är överenskommelserna i nya Tidöavtalet". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  45. ^ "Sweden's parliament elects conservative prime minister". AP News. Associated Press. 17 October 2022. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  46. ^ "Swedish parliament elects conservative PM". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  47. ^ Henley, John (14 October 2022). "Swedish parties agree coalition with backing of far-right". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  48. ^ Szumski, Charles (16 September 2022). "EU lawmakers slam EPP for siding with far-right amid Swedish election results". Euractiv. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  49. ^ Duxbury, Charlie (17 October 2022). "Swedish parliament backs center-right leader Ulf Kristersson as new PM". Politico. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  50. ^ "Sweden's new Government". Government of Sweden. 18 October 2022. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  51. ^ Sweden's new PM Kristersson appoints cabinet. 18 October 2022. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  52. ^ "Sweden's new government announces 55bn kronor power price subsidy". The Local. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  53. ^ "Who is Sweden's Moderate opposition leader Ulf Kristersson?". The Local Sweden. The Local. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  54. ^ Kristersson, Ulf (15 December 2017). "Ulf Kristerssons jultal: Social rörlighet är vår tids välfärdspolitik" (PDF). learnify.se. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  55. ^ "Ulf Kristersson: Moderaterna ska vara ett parti för hoppfulla | Nya Moderaterna". moderaterna.se. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  56. ^ Svensson, Olof & Karlsson, Pär (31 oktober 2017). "Löfven och Kristersson rök ihop" Archived 22 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Aftonbladet. Retrieved 8 February 2018
  57. ^ "Mainstream Swedish party open to working with once-spurned nationalists". Financial Times. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  58. ^ Foster, Keith (5 December 2019). "Is Sweden seeing a new political bloc after Moderates and Sweden Democrats meet?". Sveriges Radio. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  59. ^ "Swedish election: far right makes gains but overall result on knife-edge". The Guardian. 11 September 2022. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  60. ^ "Sverige har röstat – följ utvecklingen direkt". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 11 August 2022. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  61. ^ "Ulf Kristersson: "Det dödliga våldet är som Sveriges andra pandemi"". SVT. 24 August 2020. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  62. ^ "Fem saker du inte visste om Ulf Kristersson – Moderaternas nye partiledare". Expressen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  63. ^ "5 saker du inte visste om Ulf Kristersson". Expressen. 13 October 2017. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  64. ^ Lindgren, Linus (17 May 2021). "Omtalade bilden: Ulf Kristersson växer så det knakar". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 October 2022.
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the Moderate Youth League
1988–1992 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Moderate Party
2017–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Social Security
2010–2014 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Opposition
2017–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Sweden
2022–present 		Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded byas Speaker of the Riksdag Swedish order of precedence
Prime Minister 		Succeeded byas Marshal of the Realm
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