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Fredrik Reinfeldt

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File:Fredrik Reinfeldt 2003-10-27.jpg
Fredrik Reinfeldt was officially asked by the Speaker of the Riksdag on September 19, 2006 to prepare government formation anticipating his election as Prime Minister of Sweden.

John Fredrik Reinfeldt (IPA: [ˈfreːdrɪk ˈrajnfɛlt], born August 4, 1965) is the current leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party (Swedish: Moderata samlingspartiet). He was elected party leader on October 25, 2003, succeeding Bo Lundgren. Following the 2006 election, held on September 17, Reinfeldt is expected to become Prime Minister of Sweden.

Family life

Fredrik Reinfeldt was born at Allmänna BB in Stockholm as the oldest of three brothers to his parents Bruno and Brigitta Reinfeldt. At the time of his birth his parents lived in an apartment in Österhaninge in the south of Stockholm County, but a short time afterwards the family moved to London, England where his father worked as a consultant for Shell. Upon returning to Sweden the Reinfeldt family first lived in an apartment in Handen before moving to a terraced house in Bromsten in northwestern Stockholm. The Reinfeldt family was living in Bromsten when Fredrik Reinfeldts younger brothers Magnus and Henrik were born (1969 and 1973). In 1976 the family moved into a single-family home in Täby in northeastern Stockholm County. His mother Birgitta was a leadership (management) consultant, and some of her professional skills might have inspired and impressed the young Fredrik Reinfeldt.[1] [2]

At the age of eleven Reinfeldt became chairperson of the student council (Swedish: elevrådet) in his school, and at this time in his life Reinfeldt became a fan of Djurgården IF in Ice hockey and Football which he still is today. Reinfeldt enjoyed listening to the music of Magnus Uggla and David Bowie. He started playing basketball for the Tensta Tigers while living in Bromsten (which is located adjacent to Tensta), and he continued playing for the 'Tensta Tigers' after his family moved to Täby. Fredrik Reinfeldt has said that in sports it does not matter how you look or what your name is, what matters is how good you are and how well you work in a team. Reinfeldt also enjoyed setting up and performing revues and cabarets. After school Reinfeldt completed his military service as a chasseur (Swedish: fjälljägare) and finished first in his class as a cadet in Umeå. It was during this time that he became interested in politics, as a representative for his regiment in the congress of conscripts in the swedish military (Swedish: värnpliktsriksdagen). Reinfeldt participated in convincing every conscript in the swedish armed forces to give one days pay to the starving in Africa (one quarter of a million kronor were donated).[2] [1]

Reinfeldt graduated from Stockholm University with a degree in Business and Economics (Swedish: civilekonomexamen) in 1990. At the present time (2006) Reinfeldt lives in Täby, Uppland, together with his wife Filippa, who is a local Moderate Party councillor (Swedish: kommunalråd) in Täby, and their three children Ebba, Gustaf and Erik aged 6 to 13 (2006).[3] [4] His father Bruno Reinfeldt is also involved in local politics for the Moderate Party in Täby.[5]

Political career

Fredrik Reinfeldt joined the Moderate Youth League in 1983 at the age of 18. As a member of the Moderat Youth League in Täby he challenged the leaders of the local youth league, who preferred to use the premises as a place to drink beer and wine rather than any political activity. Reinfeldt, who is said to dislike hard liquor and to consume wine and beer in moderate amounts, started "Conservative Youth" Swedish: Konservativ ungdom, formed a bond with the mother party and eventually took over the youth league in Täby in 1987. In 1988 Reinfeldt became a secretary (Swedish: borgarrådssekreterare) in the Stockholm Municipality Council.[1]

He was active in student politics while studying at Stockholm University, eventually becoming chairperson for the student party "Borgerliga Studenter – Opposition '68" between 1988 and 1989. In 1990 he became chairperson of the Moderate Youth League in Stockholm, and in 1991 Reinfeldt was elected a member of the Riksdag (Swedish: riksdagsledamot). In the Swedish general election of 1991 the Moderate Party and its allies had considerable success, leading to the formation of a centre-right coalition government under Moderate Party leader and Prime Minister Carl Bildt. The 1991 government was the first centre-right government in Sweden since 1982.[1]

Leader of the Moderate Youth League

From 1992 to 1995, Reinfeldt was the chairman of the Moderate Youth League. He ousted the former chairman, Ulf Kristersson at the controversial congress known as The Battle of Lycksele, gathering 58 of the delegates votes with Kristersson gathering 55 votes. The 1992 congress was also the culmination of a long ideological battle within the moderate youth league.[2] Reinfeldt later stated that the ideological division and battle within the Moderate Youth League was deeply divisive, and that although he can still feel the effects of that division in the party he also feel that it also was a defining moment, had he lost the battle he would most likely not be in politics today.[1] [6] During the period 1995 to 1997, Reinfeldt was chairman of the Democrat Youth Community of Europe.[7]

At the beginning of his term as leader of the Moderate Youth League Reinfeldt supported the Bildt government, but Reinfeldt gradually changed his views and became more critical of the party leadership. In 1993 Reinfeldt wrote the book "Det sovande folket" (The Sleeping Nation) in which he critized the Swedish welfare state and argued for the introduction of a neoliberalist society. Following the defeat of the Bildt government in the Swedish general election of 1994 Reinfeldt publicly criticized the Moderate Party leader Carl Bildt whom Reinfeldt believed had gotten too much dominance in the party.[2]

In 1995 Reinfeldt co-authored the book "Nostalgitrippen" (The Nostalgic Trip) which described several persons in the Moderate Party leadership, including Gunnar Hökmark and Bo Lundgren, as "Carl Bildt-lookalikes". Carl Bildt was described as being the perfect leader for the opposition to caricaturize; a nobleman living in the affluent Östermalm with a boyish expression and a better-than-you attitude.[1] As for the other high party officials, the book stated that:


If everyone appears similar to Carl it confirms peoples misconceptions about the Moderate Party. It becomes a party for Carl Bildt-copies. (Swedish: Om alla liknar Carl bekräftas vanföreställningarna av moderaterna. Det blir ett parti för Carl Bildt-kopior.)

— "Nostalgitrippen" (The Nostalgic Trip) [6]

This resulted in a reaction from the Moderate Party leadership, who believed that Reinfeldt had gone too far in his criticism. On February 14, 1995 Reinfeldt was called to a meeting of the Moderate Party Riksdag group which took place in the former second chamber (Swedish: andrakammarsalen) of the Swedish parliament building, a meeting which Reinfeldt himself described as one long telling-off (reportedly Carl Bildt scolded him for hours). After this Reinfeldt toned down his criticism, but was ostracized within the Moderate Party and not given any important posts until after the change of leadership when Bo Lundgren succeeded Carl Bildt in 1999. From 2001 to 2002 Reinfeldt was chairman of the justice committee of the Swedish parliament. During this time Reinfeldt traveled around the country, listening to people, taking impression and gathering support within the lower ranks of the Moderate Party.[2] [1]

Leader of the Moderate Party

Following a scandal after a Swedish television journalist exposed the racist opinions of a few candidates within the Moderate Party and a big loss in the Swedish general election of 2002 Carl Bildts successor Bo Lundgren was forced to resign his position as leader of the Moderate Party.[3] After the 2002 election Reinfeldt was elected as group leader in the Moderate Party parliament group, spokesperson for economic policy and vice chairman in the Swedish parliament finance committee. On October 25, 2003 Reinfeldt was unanimously elected as the new leader of the Moderate Party.[2]

Under Reinfeldt's leadership, the Moderate Party has adjusted its position in the political spectrum, moving towards the centre and starting to focus more on calls for tax cuts on low- and middle-income groups, rather than on major tax cuts more to the benefit of high-income earners. Also, as leader of the Moderate Party, Reinfeldt has tended to be less forceful in his criticism of the Swedish welfare state than his predecessors. Reinfeldt has also toned down calls within the party for dismantling large portions of the Swedish welfare state, stating that change must come gradually from the bottom up and not dictated from the top down.[3] His goal is said to be to fine-tune the welfare state, by focusing on on getting people of welfare benefits and in to employment. He has worked to shift the conservatives to the middle ground by convincing voters that he would fix rather than dismantle the public welfare system.[4]


The Nordic welfare model is in many aspects a good model but it needs more of a choice for individuals.

— Fredrik Reinfeldt [4] [8]

The party's inofficial name was altered to the "the new Moderates" (Swedish: de nya Moderaterna) in order to emphasize the break with the past. The Moderate Party also calls itself "Sweden's new workers' party" (Swedish: Sveriges nya arbetarparti) which is similar-sounding to the Swedish Social Democratic Party which calls itself "Sweden's Social Democratic Workers' Party" (Swedish: Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti). Reinfeldt has instead proposed reforms to Sweden's welfare state, which include cutting taxes for the lowest income earners and reducing unemployment benefits, in order to encourage the jobless to return to work.[4]


We have a strong economy but we don't have the job creation we need. We want more job creation.

— Fredrik Reinfeldt [4]

Reinfeldt has even extended an invitation to the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, a traditional supporter of the Social Democrats and opponents to the Moderate Party. Reinifeldt has also changed the Moderate Party traditional stance towards the Swedish Labour and employment laws, stating that he prefers small changes instead of any radical reform.[9]

People both within and outside the party differ on their analysis of the transformation of the Moderate Party, with some arguing that the party is mainly honing the way it describes its visions, and others suggesting that it constitutes a substantial policy change towards the centre.[10] [11] [12] As a consequence of Reinfeldts shift of the Moderate Party to the center, the differences between the Moderate Party and their traditional opponents the Swedish Social Democratic Party have become harder to discern.[9] In a series of radio and television debates the opposing Social Democrat leader and incumbent Prime Minister Göran Persson portrayed his opponent as a classic conservative in disguise. Persson stated that, if in power, the conservatives would tamper with Sweden's successful formula of high taxes, a large public sector and generous benefits.[8] There is also some criticism within the party, chairperson of the Moderate Youth League Christofer Fjellner has called Reinfeldts political reform as "leftist rhetoric" (Swedish: vänsterretorik).[9]

In the run-up for the Swedish general election of 2006 Reinfeldt, as leader of the Moderate Party, participated in the creation of the Alliance for Sweden which has united the four-party center-right coalition which consists of the Moderate Party, Centre Party, Liberal People's Party and Christian Democrats. Reinfeldt is said to have been instrumental in uniting the four partys which previously were known for being notoriously divided in order to present a powerful alternative to the Social Democrats.[3] [4] The four parties presented a joint election manifesto for the alliance.[3] [13]

Prime Minister

Following the Swedish general election of 2006 on September 17, 2006 the Alliance for Sweden won a majority of the votes after the first count.[14] The moderates gathered 26.1 % of the votes, a new record for the party which in the 2002 election only managed to gather 15.2 % of the votes.[4] As the leader of the largest party in the alliance Reinfeldt is expected to be appointed as the new Prime Minister of Sweden by the speaker of the Riksdag Björn von Sydow and asked to form a coalition government. The new government is expected to assume power on October 6th.[15]

Controversies and public perception

  • Fredrik Reinfeldt has been described as a communitarian.[16] [17]
  • Fredrik Reinfeldt has been perceived as a very controlled and harmonius person, and his apparent lack of public displays of emotion stands in contrast to his predecessor Bo Lundgren, who on several occasions displayed fits of rage.[2] Reinfeldt has been described as "gentle, pensive and a good listener" and his "cool, soft-spoken approach" is said to go down well with Swedish voters.[3] Aware of this perception, Reinfeldt has aid ""I am by nature confident and calm. But that does not mean I am not passionate and do not feel strongly about things"[4]
  • 2006 Smear campaigns:
    • During the run-up for the 2006 Swedish general election Fredrik Reinfeldt was subject to a smear campaign. Mats Lindström, a staff member at the Social Democrat Party headquarters admitted to sending e-mails accusing Reinfeldt of tax fraud, false financial declarations and only attaining his position because of his fathers influence.[18] The IP address used in the e-mails was traced to the Social Democratic Party headquarters, and Social Democratic Party officials co-operated with Moderate Party officials and the Swedish parliament's security department in tracing the source. Social Democratic Party secretary Marita Ulvskog apologized and that such behaviour was completely unacceptable.[19] [20] Following the incident, Reinfeldt filed charges with the Swedish police,[21] however the charges did not result in any police action.[22]
    • A short while after the e-mail campaign images of Reinfeldt as a werewolf and others which depicted Reinfeldt and the Moderate Party in a unflattering light were spread internally within the Social Democratic Party and subsequently leaked to the media.[23] Social Democratic Party spokeswoman Carina Persson confirmed that the material came from the Social Democratic Youth League, but denied the existence of a official smear campaign and stated that the material was not meant to be released or spread to a wider audience.[24] [25]
  • Fredrik Reinfeldt's parents, Bruno and Birgitta, were both entrepreneurs - his father ran a training company whereas his mother worked in recruitment - and Fredrik Reinfeldt has stated that his parents' experience of the difficulties in business life, in particular the "pretty aggressive attitude towards entrepreneurship" as being one of several key factors which has influenced his political activities.[4]
  • During the week of the election Sveriges Television broadcasted a program which closely examined the leaders of the two largest political parties in Sweden. The program exposed the fact that Fredrik Reinfeldt and his wife Filippa had used the services of several au pairs and foreign nannies, paying them less than what a swedish employee would earn (but within the recommendations for an au pair).[26]
  • Fredrik Reinfeldt attended a meeting held by the Bilderberg Group in Ottawa, Canada in June of 2006, a meeting which was also attended by former Moderate Party leader and Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt.[27]

Trivia

  • he was ranked 19 in a ranking of Swedish leaders made by the Swedish management magazine "Chef".[2]
  • his paternal grandfather, John, was the son of a maid from Riga in Latvia, and a mulatto circus director from New York.[2]
  • he is a fan of Djurgårdens IF. So is Left Party leader Lars Ohly. When Reinfeldt was asked if there was something he liked about Ohly, he said: "Yes, he supports Djurgården".
  • he drives a Chrysler Voyager.[2]
  • according to a 'niceness' survey undertaken by Swedish polling company Skop in August of 2006, 55 % of those polled would prefer Fredrik Reinfeldt as a dinner companion/guest compared with 45 % for Prime Minister and opposition Social Democrat party leader Göran Persson. This was an increase by three percentage points compared with a earlier poll undertaken in June of 2006.[28]
  • he has been called a "Swedish David Cameron" and likened to former US President Bill Clinton, while his wife Filippa Reinfeldt has been likened to US Senator Hillary Clinton.[4]
  • he has stated that he washing up in the kitchen, "I like when things are clean",[3] and cultivated the image of a good family man who enjoys housework.[4]
  • he enjoys reading crime novels and history books and listening to Swedish 1970s disco group ABBA. [29]

Bibliography

  • (1993) Det sovande folket ISBN 91-86194-10-0
  • (1993) Projekt Europa: sex unga européer om Europasamarbetet ISBN 91-86194-06-2
  • (1995) Nostalgitrippen ISBN 91-86194-13-5
  • (1995) Stenen i handen på den starke ISBN 91-86194-14-3
  • (2001) Väljarkryss: personvalshandbok ISBN 99-35288-50-1

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Så nådde han toppen Template:Sv icon, Aftonbladet, September 18, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Berättelsen om Fredrik Reinfeldt Template:Sv icon, Dagens Nyheter, September 18, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Profile: Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Alliance's clean-up man Template:En icon, The Local, September 13, 2006.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Profile: Fredrik Reinfeldt Template:En icon, BBC News, September 18, 2006.
  5. ^ Förtroendevalda i kommunfullmäktige 2003-2006 Template:Sv icon at Täby Municipality official website.
  6. ^ a b Vägen mot toppen kantad av bråk Template:Sv icon, Sveriges Television, September 11-14, 2006.
  7. ^ Past office-holders Template:En icon at the Democrat Youth Community of Europe official website.
  8. ^ a b Sweden's governing party voted out after 12 years Template:En icon, International Herald Tribune, September 17, 2006.
  9. ^ a b c Reinfeldts politiska lappkast överraskade Template:Sv icon, Sveriges Television, September 11-14, 2006.
  10. ^ Reinfeldt lanserar "nya" moderaterna Template:Sv icon, Sydsvenskan, August 25, 2006.
  11. ^ Nu ska Sverige få sin Blair Template:Sv icon, Svenska Dagbladet, August 26, 2005.
  12. ^ Detta är de nya moderaterna Template:Sv icon, Dagens Nyheter, June 11, 2005.
  13. ^ Alliance manifesto targets jobs and environment Template:En icon, The Local, August 23, 2006.
  14. ^ Narrow win for Swedish opposition Template:En icon, BBC News, September 17, 2006.
  15. ^ Reinfeldt asked to form a government Template:En icon, The Local, September 19, 2006.
  16. ^ Framgångsteologi för massorna Template:Sv icon, Svenska Dagbladet, April 2, 2006.
  17. ^ Reinfeldt kommunitarist? Template:Sv icon, private blog.
  18. ^ Key Persson aide behind email scandal Template:En icon, The Local, February 25, 2006.
  19. ^ Social Democrats admit to Reinfeldt smear campaign Template:En icon, The Local, February 24, 2006.
  20. ^ SD staffer quits over email storm Template:En icon, The Local, February 24, 2006.
  21. ^ Reinfeldt reports emails to Swedish police Template:En icon, The Local, February 27, 2006.
  22. ^ No police action over Reinfeldt smear emails Template:En icon, The Local, March 7, 2006.
  23. ^ Reinfeldt werewolf pictures inflame smear scandal Template:En icon, The Local, February 28, 2006.
  24. ^ S-ledningen spred varulvsbild på Reinfeldt Template:Sv icon, Dagens Nyheter, February 27, 2006.
  25. ^ Reinfeldt har polisanmält mejlen Template:Sv icon, Svenska Dagbladet, February 27, 2006.
  26. ^ Lågavlönade barnflickor hos Reinfeldt Template:Sv icon, September 11-14, 2006.
  27. ^ Reinfeldt i hemlig elitklubb Template:Sv icon, Aftonbladet, September 22, 2006.
  28. ^ Voters prefer Reinfeldt at dinner Template:En icon, The Local, August 27, 2006.
  29. ^ Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden's next PM who made the right electable Template:En icon, Yahoo! News, September 17, 2006.

Further reading

  • Ljunggren, Stig-Björn (2006). Högern att lita på! : om Fredrik Reinfeldt och de nya moderaterna. Stockholm: Hjalmarson & Högberg. ISBN 9172240237.
  • Wiklund, Mats (2006). En av oss : en bok om Fredrik Reinfeldt. Rimbo: Fischer & Co. ISBN 9185183245.
  • Kristofferson, Ulf (2006). Fredrik Reinfeldt - i huvudrollen. Stockholm: Bonnier fakta. ISBN 9185015768.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fredrik Reinfeldt.


Template:Incumbent succession box
Preceded by Chairman of the Moderate Youth League
1992–1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the Democrat Youth Community of Europe
1995–1997 		Succeeded by
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