Swedish parliament approves Fredrik Reinfeldt as new premier

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Thursday October 5, 2006

Stockholm- The newly elected Swedish parliament Thursday approved conservative Moderate party leader Fredrik Reinfeldt as new prime minister, marking the end of a 12-year-period of Social Democratic rule. The 41-year-old conservative leader becomes the country's youngest prime minister since 1925.

Seconds after the vote (175 to 169), a smiling Reinfeldt shook hands with outgoing Prime Minister Goran Persson and was congratulated by newly elected speaker Per Westerberg and other members of parliament.

Reinfeldt's wife, Filippa Reinfeldt who is head of the town council in Taby, north of Stockholm, also gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

On Friday, Reinfeldt was due to present his cabinet and government's platform for the coming four-year term.

His four-party centre-right coalition including the Moderate Party, Centre Party, Liberal Party and Christian Democrats ousted the Social Democrats in elections last month, securing 178 seats in the 349-seat parliament.

In an interview published in Thursday's editions of the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper, Reinfeldt said he aimed to seek "dialogue rather than confrontation with Sweden's traditionally strong trade union movement," who have been angered over plans mooted by the alliance to cut unemployment benefits to stimulate more people to seek work.

He also said he was willing to invite the Social Democrats to take part in talks on Sweden's energy policy, including nuclear power.

Reinfeldt takes over from veteran Persson, premier since 1996, and leader of the Social Democrats, the country's dominant political force during the post-war era.

In an Op-Ed piece in the influential Stockholm daily Dagens Nyheter, the 58-year-old Persson - who has announced he would step down as party leader next March - said his outgoing government was handing over a country in good economic shape.

"Since 1994, Sweden has had growth above the average in the European Union and OECD areas," Persson said, adding that this had generated strong employment and a drop in unemployment in recent years.

Persson said he "feared the (election) promises of increased expenditures and big tax cuts made by the right-wing alliance.

"I hope, for the sake of Sweden and its citizens, that my fears are unfounded. I expect the non-socialist parties - with the Moderate Party at the helm - to take responsibility to hand over a country that is just as well-managed to the next government, latest at the 2010 elections," he said.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency