26-year-old Romina Pourmokhtari writes history, becomes Sweden’s youngest minister ever | World news
Stockholm: Sweden’s Prime Minister-elect Ulf Kristersson promised on Tuesday to set the country on a new course on immigration, criminal justice and energy policy as he unveiled a centre-right coalition government led by his conservative Moderate Party. The new cabinet consists of 24 ministers – 13 men and 11 women. Thirteen are moderates, six Christian Democrats and five liberals. The three centrist parties secured a majority in parliament after the September 11 election with the help of the Sweden Democrats, a far-right party that has entered the political mainstream after years of being treated as a pariah by the other parties.
The moderates’ parliamentary leader Tobias Billström was appointed foreign minister, while the head of the parliament’s defense committee, Pal Jonson, another moderate, was appointed defense minister.
Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch became energy minister and 26-year-old Romina Pourmokhtari from the Liberals made history as Sweden’s youngest ever cabinet minister, with responsibility for the climate and environment portfolio.
Elisabeth Svantesson, the spokesperson for the Moderate Party in economic policy, was appointed as finance minister.
In a speech to parliament, Kristersson promised an overhaul of the penal code and increased powers for the police to fight criminal gangs that have become more powerful and violent in recent years.
“No other country in all of Europe has the same violent trend as Sweden: 53 shooting deaths so far this year, often outright executions,” he said. “The government is now launching the biggest offensive in Swedish history against organized crime.”
He also promised a “paradigm shift” for immigration policy, marking a definitive end to decades of liberal immigration policies that had already begun to tighten under the previous Social Democrat government.