Jump to content

Ulf Kristersson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Gorrrillla5 (talk | contribs) at 16:12, 18 October 2022 (→‎Prime Minister of Sweden (2022-present)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Ulf Kristersson
M
Kristersson in 2022
Prime Minister of Sweden
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 October 2022
MonarchCarl XVI Gustaf
DeputyEbba Busch
Preceded byMagdalena Andersson
Leader of the Opposition
In office
1 October 2017 – 18 October 2022
MonarchCarl XVI Gustaf
Prime MinisterStefan Löfven
Magdalena Andersson
Preceded byAnna Kinberg Batra
Succeeded byMagdalena Andersson
Leader of the Moderate Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 October 2017
DeputyPeter Danielsson
Elisabeth Svantesson
Party SecretaryGunnar Strömmer
Preceded byAnna Kinberg Batra
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
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 serving as Prime Minister of Sweden and leader of the Moderate Party. He has been a member of the Riksdag for Södermanland County since 2014 and previously from 1991 to 2000 for Stockholm County.[1] He previously served as Minister for Social Security from 2010 to 2014 and 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 September 2017, Kristersson announced he was running for the party leadership of the Moderate Party after Anna Kinberg Batra stepped down.[3] Since the 2018 Swedish general election, the Moderate Party under his leadership opened up to the Sweden Democrats, and by late 2021 had formed an informal right-wing alliance with them and two centre-right parties of the dissolved Alliance. After the 2022 Swedish general election, the right-wing bloc obtained a majority in the Riksdag, leading to Kristersson's election as Prime Minister on 17 October 2022.[4]

Biography

Early life

Ulf Kristersson was born in Lund, Skåne County, to Lars Kristersson (1938–2015) and Karin Kristersson.[5] The family moved to Torshälla outside Eskilstuna five years later.[6] In his youth, Kristersson was a troupe gymnast.[7] 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,[8] and completed a degree in economics at Uppsala University.[9]

Early political career

In connection with the 1985 Swedish general election, he was employed as a campaigner at MUF in Sörmland.[10] On 26 November 1988, he rose to become new Chairman of MUF succeeding Beatrice Ask.[11] In 1991, the centre-right Bildt Cabinet took power and Kristersson became a Member of the Riksdag (MP).[12] He served in the Social Security Committee. He soon become 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.[13]

In 1992, Kristresson was challenged as chairman of MUF by Fredrik Reinfeldt.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16] From 1995 to 1998, Kristersson was chief of marketing at Timbro.

Career outside politics

Kristersson left his parliamentary seat in April 2000, feeling that the new party leader Bo Lundgren had declined his services.[17] Kristersson worked for two years in the private sector, mainly as communications director and VP for the internet consultancy Adcore,[18] 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. [19]

Municipal politics

He returned to active politics in 2002 as Commissioner (Mayor) for Finance in Strängnäs and served there until 2006.[6] In 2006, he was appointed Vice Mayor (Socialborgarråd) in Stockholm responsible for the social welfare and labour division.[5] Kristersson was also asked by Fredrik Reinfeldt to lead the committee responsible for developing a new family policy for the party.[16] He immediately caused controversy by suggesting that fathers must take a month of paternity leave for the family to receive all benefits.[6] This was clearly in conflict with traditional Moderate Party policy, which has centred on individual choice.[6]

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.[20] After the 2014 election the Reinfeldt cabinet resigned, Kristersson was however elected as Member of the Riksdag (MP) again, this time for Södermanland County.[21] Following Reinfeldt's resignation as party leader, Anna Kinberg Batra appointed him as Shadow Finance Minister.[22]

Leader of the Moderate Party

Anna Kinberg Batra resigned as leader of the Moderate Party on 25 August 2017, after internal criticism.[23] Kristersson publicly decided to run for leadership on 1 September 2017 and was elected on 1 October 2017.[24] [25] The party saw a sharp increase in support in the polls, compared to the record low numbers under his predecessor Batra.[26][23] He has a harsher stance against immigration than his predecessors.[27][25]

2018–2019 government formation

Main article: 2018–2019 Swedish government formation

In September 2018, incumbent Prime Minister Stefan Löfven was ousted.[24] Kristersson expressed hope of becoming the next Prime Minister.[28][24]

On 2 October 2018, he was designated by Speaker of the Riksdag, Andreas Norlén, to form a new government.[29] He initially sought to form a government coalition involving the Alliance parties (Moderate Party, Centre Party, Christian Democrats and the Liberal Party) with support from the Swedish Social Democratic Party. On 9 October 2018, he announced that the Social Democrats had rejected all further talks on agreements and that he would now seek other ways to form a new government.[30] On 14 October 2018 he announced that he was not able to form a new government under current circumstances.[31]

On 5 November 2018, Speaker Norlén proposed Kristersson as Prime Minister following breakdowns in all other government negotiations.[32] 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 centre-right parties (Centre Party and Liberals) vetoed a centre-right candidate for Prime Minister.[33][34]

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 centre-right and radical-right parties cooperate.[35] 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".[36]

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.[37] Kristersson planned to lead a coalition of his Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats, the Sweden Democrats, and the Liberals. On 1 July, Kristersson informed the Speaker that he did not have enough support to form a government and returned his mandate.[38]

2022 election and government formation

Main article: 2022 Swedish general election

Kristersson lead the Moderate Party during the 2022 campaign, even though his party decreased in seats and lost the second place position for the first time since 1976, the right-of-center bloc got an absolute majority, thus resulting in Magdalena Andersson's resignation and his nomination as Prime Minister by Speaker Andreas Norlén.[39] Kristersson has signaled his preferrence for a coalition government between Moderate, his own party, Christian Democrats and Liberals with Sweden Democrats support.[40]

On 14 October 2022, Kristersson presented Tidöavtalet, an agreement between Moderates, Christian Democrats, Liberals and Sweden Democrats.[41] This resulted in the first three parties seeking a mandate for a new government in the Riksdag, with Sweden Democrats given a strong influence as confidence and supply.[41] On 17 October 2022, Kristersson was approved as Prime Minister by the Riksdag with 176 to 173 votes.[42]

Prime Minister of Sweden (2022–present)

Main article: Kristersson Cabinet

On 18 October 2022, Kristersson officially became new Prime Minister of Sweden, and during a meeting in the Riksdag announced the members of his cabinet.[43]

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 Moderates.[44]

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.[45] In his first leadership speech, Kristersson stated that Sweden should become "a country for hopefuls" and that the Moderates should be "a party for hopefuls".[46] On the matter of asylum, Kristersson states that he supports the integration of refugees into Swedish society but argues for compulsory cultural assimilation and learning of the Swedish language, and that refugees be put to work and pay tax.[47]

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.[48][49] Before the 2022 Swedish general election, Kristersson suggested that he would form a loose right-wing bloc consisting of the Moderates, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and the Liberals but expressed uncertainty at SD's demand that they be allocated cabinet positions should the right-wing bloc win a majority.[50] Following the election, Kristersson signalled his ambition to form a new conservative government with support from SD.[51]

Personal life

Kristersson lives in Strängnäs.[52] He and his wife adopted three children.[53]

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. ^ "Ulf Kristersson: Swedish parliament elects new PM backed by far right". BBC News. 17 October 2022. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b c d "Kristersson vill bli Moderatledare". 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  7. ^ [1] Archived 19 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Published 1 September 2017
  8. ^ "CV | Ulf Kristersson" (PDF). Moderate Party. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Ulf Kristersson fjärde raka civilekonomen som styr Moderaterna". civilekonomen.se. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  10. ^ [TT: Nyvald ordförande kritiserar borgerlig trepartisamverkan ] Published 26 November 1988
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ [2] Archived 23 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Dagens Nyheter. Published 18 September 1992.
  14. ^ "Who is Sweden's Moderate opposition leader Ulf Kristersson?". 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Terms of Service Violation". www.bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Så ska Löfven och Kristersson agera – efter valet". Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  17. ^ [3] Archived 18 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine Published 30 September 2017
  18. ^ Söderström, Jan (12 October 2018). "Kristerssons jättekrasch". Aktuellt i Politiken (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  19. ^ "Kristersson svek de stulna barnen". Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Ulf Kristersson blir ny minister i Reinfeldts regering - Val 2010 - Expressen". Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  21. ^ Riksdagsförvaltningen. "Ulf Kristersson (M) - Riksdagen". riksdagen.se. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  22. ^ "Han blir Moderaternas skuggfinansminister". Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "Novus: Moderaterna ökar". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  27. ^ "Swedish opposition wants thougher stance". Financial Times. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  28. ^ 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)
  29. ^ SVT: Ulf Kristersson (M) får uppdraget att försöka bilda regering, 2018-10-02 Archived 22 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine (in Swedish)
  30. ^ fPlus: "Kristersson: Löfven avvisar Alliansregering - jag går vidare med sonderingar, 2018-10-10 Archived 10 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, (in Swedish)
  31. ^ Aftonbladet: "Ulf Kristersson ger upp försöken att bilda regering", 2018-10-14 Archived 18 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine, läst 2018-10-14 (in Swedish)
  32. ^ Ulf Kristersson proposed as new Prime Minister by the Speaker Archived 20 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine, 2018-11-05] (in Swedish)
  33. ^ "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.
  34. ^ "Sweden Braces for Week of Political Turmoil as Nationalists Gain". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ "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.
  38. ^ "Moderaterna ger upp försöken att bilda regering". DN.SE (in Swedish). 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  39. ^ "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.
  40. ^ Auto, Hermes (19 September 2022). "Sweden's Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson gets nod to try form a new govt | The Straits Times". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  41. ^ a b "Här är överenskommelserna i nya Tidöavtalet". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  42. ^ "Swedish parliament backs center-right leader Ulf Kristersson as new PM". POLITICO. 17 October 2022. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  43. ^ Sweden's new PM Kristersson appoints cabinet. 18 October 2022. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022 – via Reuters.
  44. ^ "Who is Sweden's Moderate opposition leader Ulf Kristersson?". The Local. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  45. ^ 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.
  46. ^ "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.
  47. ^ Svensson, Olof & Karlsson, Pär (31 oktober 2017). "Löfven och Kristersson rök ihop" Archived 22 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Aftonbladet. Läst 7 augusti 2018
  48. ^ "Mainstream Swedish party open to working with once-spurned nationalists". FT.com. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  49. ^ 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.
  50. ^ "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.
  51. ^ "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.
  52. ^ "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.
  53. ^ "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.
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–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ulf_Kristersson&oldid=1116839055"