Cecilia Stegö Chilò facts for kids

Marie Cecilia Stegö Chilò (born March 25, 1959 – died February 15, 2025) was a Swedish politician. She served as the Minister for Culture for a short time, from October 6 to October 16, 2006. Before becoming a minister, she was a leader at the Swedish Free Enterprise Foundation and a director at Timbro, which is a group that studies ideas about how the economy and society should work. She was also a journalist and writer for newspapers. Stegö Chilò was a member of the Moderate Party, a political party in Sweden.

Early Life and Education

Cecilia Stegö was born in Linköping, a city in Östergötland County, Sweden. She studied several subjects in college, including political science (the study of government), economics (the study of money and resources), law, and different languages. She lived with her husband and two children in Bromma, a part of western Stockholm. She passed away on February 15, 2025, when she was 65 years old.

Her Career Journey

Cecilia Stegö Chilò had a varied career before becoming a minister.

• In 1982, she was a top leader for the European Democrat Students group in Bonn, Germany, and London, England.
• From 1982 to 1983, she was a vice chairperson for the Confederation of Swedish Conservative and Liberal Students.
• She worked as a reporter for the newspaper Norrköpings Tidningar from 1982 to 1984.
• She also served as a secretary for the Stockholm County Council from 1984 to 1985.
• Later, she was a press secretary for the Moderate Party's group in the parliament from 1985 to 1987.
• She wrote speeches for the Moderate Party leaders from 1987 to 1988.
• From 1989 to 1999, she was a reporter and writer for the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.
• From 2001 to 2002, she shared her political opinions as a commentator on Sveriges Radio, a national radio station.

Her Time in Politics

Cecilia Stegö Chilò was involved in politics for many years.

• In 1995, she left the Moderate Party for a while. This was because she disagreed with the party's decision to remove a politician named Björn von der Esch. He had spoken out against certain ideas about the EU.
• She rejoined the Moderate Party in 2005.
• After the 2006 Swedish general election on September 17, 2006, the Moderate Party and three other parties formed a group called the Alliance for Sweden. This group won enough seats to form a new government.
• On October 6, 2006, the new Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, chose Stegö Chilò to be the Minister for Culture. This job meant she was in charge of things like culture, media, and sports in Sweden.

Challenges as Minister

During her time as Minister for Culture, some issues from her past came to light. These events led to her leaving the government after only ten days.

Household Help Discussion

On October 7, 2006, the day after the new government was announced, Cecilia Stegö Chilò and another minister, Maria Borelius, shared that they had previously hired people to help with their children without paying all the required taxes. Stegö Chilò openly said, "It's just as well that I say this right away. If you want to remove me because of that, go ahead." Since these events happened more than five years before, there were no legal consequences for them.

Television Fee Discussion

On October 11, 2006, it was reported that Stegö Chilò and her husband had not paid their television fee for at least 16 years. This fee helps fund public television and radio in Sweden. Not paying this fee is against the rules in Sweden. Her husband registered ownership of a television just five days before she became a minister. As Minister for Culture, Stegö Chilò was responsible for overseeing public service media. She said she wanted to pay back what she owed. However, a company that collects these fees later filed a report about her and two other ministers.

In November 2006, she sent a letter stating she had paid SEK 22,656. This payment was based on an agreement she had made to cover the unpaid fees plus interest.

Leaving Her Role

On October 16, 2006, Cecilia Stegö Chilò decided to resign from her position as Minister for Culture. She gave her resignation to Prime Minister Reinfeldt. Lars Leijonborg, who was the Minister for Education and Research, temporarily took over her duties. A new Minister for Culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, was appointed on October 24, 2006.

In November 2006, Stegö Chilò also sent a letter to the government's salary department. She explained that even though she might have been allowed to receive her salary for some time after resigning, she did not want to take any more money.