Jonas Sjöstedt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonas Sjöstedt
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Member of the European Parliament | |
| Assumed office 16 July 2024 |
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| Constituency | Sweden |
| In office 9 October 1995 – 26 September 2006 |
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| Constituency | Sweden |
| Leader of the Left Party | |
| In office 6 January 2012 – 31 October 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Lars Ohly |
| Succeeded by | Nooshi Dadgostar |
| Member of the Riksdag | |
| In office 4 October 2010 – 3 November 2020 |
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| Succeeded by | Gudrun Nordborg |
| Constituency | Västerbotten County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 December 1964 Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Political party | Left |
| Other political affiliations |
Socialist Party USA |
| Spouse |
Ann Måwe
(m. 2004) |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Metalworker |
Tor Jonas Sjöstedt (born on December 25, 1964) is a Swedish politician. He is currently a member of the European Parliament for the Left Party. He was also the leader of the Left Party from 2012 to 2020. Before that, he was a member of the Swedish parliament, called the Riksdag, from 2010 to 2020. He also served in the European Parliament earlier, from 1995 to 2006.
Early Life and Education
Jonas Sjöstedt was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. His father worked as an engineer at power stations and as a teacher. His mother was a psychotherapist, a type of therapist who helps people with their thoughts and feelings. Jonas has an older sister and a younger brother. His family moved often because of his father's job. They lived in places like Sundsvall, Västerås, and finally settled in Vänersborg.
Jonas had dyslexia, which made reading difficult for him until he was nine years old. He found school challenging and even dropped out twice. Later, he moved to Luleå to finish a two-year social studies course. During this time, he was involved in the Student Organisation, where he became its vice chairman.
After finishing school, Jonas worked different temporary jobs. He then moved to Umeå after his daughter was born. There, he worked on the assembly line at the local Volvo car factory.
Political Career
Jonas Sjöstedt became interested in politics when he was young. He was against the Vietnam War. He remembered feeling very happy when the war ended when he was 10 years old.
At 13, he joined the youth group of the Left Party in Vänersborg. In the 1980s, he helped edit the group's newspaper, called Röd Press.
Jonas was against Sweden joining the European Union. However, when the people voted "Yes" in the 1994 referendum, he still ran for the European Parliament in 1995. He was elected as part of the Left Party. He was re-elected in 1999 and 2004. He worked on a committee that focused on the environment, public health, and consumer issues. He left the European Parliament in 2006. He also supported the "No" side when Sweden voted on using the Euro currency in 2003.
After some disagreements within the Left Party, Jonas took a break from Swedish politics. He moved to New York City in 2006 and joined the Socialist Party USA.
When he returned to Sweden, he was elected to the Riksdag, which is Sweden's parliament. He represented Västerbotten County. He was very popular among Left Party voters in his area.
In 2011, Jonas announced he wanted to become the leader of the Left Party. He thought the party should have a co-leadership system, meaning two leaders, and that one of them should be a woman. He was chosen as the party's candidate for leader.
On January 6, 2012, he was elected as the leader of the Left Party at a special meeting. He promised to work closely with other parties like the Swedish Social Democratic Party and the Green Party.
In 2018, he spoke out against stricter immigration laws in Sweden. He believed that countries in Europe should not compete to have the toughest rules. He wanted to bring back permanent residence permits and make it easier for families to reunite.
In January 2020, Jonas announced he would step down as the Left Party leader. He wanted to spend more time with his family, who were living in Vietnam at the time. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting to choose a new leader was delayed. Jonas remained leader until October 31, 2020, when Nooshi Dadgostar was elected.
He also criticized the Swedish government for making deals with Turkey to join NATO. He felt this was unfair to the Kurdish people living in Sweden and Turkey.
Jonas Sjöstedt was the main candidate for the Left Party in the 2024 European Parliament election in Sweden. He received the most personal votes ever in a European Parliament election in Sweden. He is one of two members of the European Parliament for his party for the 2024–2029 term. He works on committees for climate, environment, and foreign affairs. He also writes articles for a newspaper called Västerbottens Folkblad.
Personal Life
Jonas Sjöstedt married Ann Måwe, a Swedish diplomat, in 2004. They have twin daughters.
In 2006, he moved to New York City with his wife, who was working for Sweden at the United Nations. While there, he was an active member of the Socialist Party USA. In 2020, he moved to Hanoi, Vietnam, where his wife works as the Swedish ambassador. He writes for Swedish publications and also writes history books and fiction stories.
See also
In Spanish: Jonas Sjöstedt para niños
