Magdalena Andersson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Magdalena Andersson
|
|
|---|---|
Andersson in 2024
|
|
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| Assumed office 18 October 2022 |
|
| Monarch | Carl XVI Gustaf |
| Prime Minister | Ulf Kristersson |
| Preceded by | Ulf Kristersson |
| Leader of the Social Democratic Party | |
| Assumed office 4 November 2021 |
|
| Secretary General | Tobias Baudin |
| Preceded by | Stefan Löfven |
| Prime Minister of Sweden | |
| In office 30 November 2021 – 18 October 2022 |
|
| Monarch | Carl XVI Gustaf |
| Deputy | Morgan Johansson |
| Preceded by | Stefan Löfven |
| Succeeded by | Ulf Kristersson |
| Minister for Finance | |
| In office 3 October 2014 – 30 November 2021 |
|
| Prime Minister | Stefan Löfven |
| Preceded by | Anders Borg |
| Succeeded by | Mikael Damberg |
| Chair of the International Monetary and Financial Committee | |
| In office 17 December 2020 – 3 January 2022 |
|
| Managing Director | Kristalina Georgieva |
| Preceded by | Lesetja Kganyago |
| Succeeded by | Nadia Calviño |
| Member of the Riksdag | |
| Assumed office 29 September 2014 |
|
| Constituency | Stockholm County |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Eva Magdalena Andersson
23 January 1967 Uppsala, Sweden |
| Political party | Social Democrats |
| Spouse |
Richard Friberg
(m. 1997) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Stockholm School of Economics |
Eva Magdalena Andersson (born 23 January 1967) is a Swedish politician and economist. She has been the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party since 2021. She also became the Leader of the Opposition in October 2022.
Magdalena Andersson served as the Prime Minister of Sweden from November 2021 to October 2022. She was the first woman to hold this important position. Before that, she was the Minister for Finance from 2014 to 2021. She has been a member of the Swedish Parliament, called the Riksdag, since 2014.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Magdalena Andersson was born in Uppsala, Sweden. Her father, Göran Andersson, was a statistics lecturer. Her mother, Birgitta Andersson, was a teacher. As a young person, Magdalena was a very good swimmer.
She went to Malmaskolan for primary school. For high school, she studied social sciences at Katedralskolan in Uppsala. She finished high school in 1987 with excellent grades.
After high school, Andersson moved to Stockholm. She studied at the Stockholm School of Economics. In 1992, she earned a master's degree in economics. She also started a doctorate program but did not finish it. During her studies, she spent time learning abroad in Vienna and at Harvard University.
Magdalena Andersson joined the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League in 1983. This was during her first year of high school. In 1987, she became the president of the Uppsala section of this youth group.
Her Career in Politics
Working as an Advisor
After finishing her studies, Andersson started working in government. From 1996 to 1998, she was a political advisor to the Prime Minister, Göran Persson. She then became the Director of Planning until 2004.
Later, she worked in the Ministry of Finance as a secretary of state from 2004 to 2006. She also advised Mona Sahlin, who was the leader of the opposition. From 2009 to 2012, she was the Chief Director of the Swedish Tax Agency. She left this job to become a candidate for the Social Democratic Party.
Becoming Finance Minister
In 2014, the Social Democrats won the general election. Magdalena Andersson was elected as a member of the Riksdag. The new prime minister, Stefan Löfven, appointed her as the Minister for Finance. She was in charge of Sweden's money and economy. She continued in this role after the 2018 election.
In 2020, Magdalena Andersson was chosen for an important international role. She became the chair of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC). This committee advises the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She was the first European in this role in over ten years and the first woman to hold the position.
Leading the Social Democratic Party
In August 2021, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven announced he would step down. Many people thought Magdalena Andersson would be the next leader. On 29 September 2021, the party chose her as their leader-designate.
Magdalena Andersson was officially elected as the Leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party on 4 November 2021. She became the second woman to lead the party.
In 2024, Andersson introduced a new plan for her party. It included stricter rules for immigration and new ways to fight crime. She also wanted to make the welfare system stronger. She said the Social Democrats would be a "renewed party" for the 2026 election.
Sweden's First Woman Prime Minister (2021–2022)
How She Became Prime Minister
On 10 November 2021, Stefan Löfven officially resigned as prime minister. The Speaker of the Riksdag asked Andersson to form a new government. She made agreements with the Left Party and the Centre Party to support her.
On 24 November 2021, the Riksdag elected Magdalena Andersson as Prime Minister. She did not get a majority of "yes" votes, but a majority did not vote against her. This was enough to elect her under Sweden's rules.
However, just hours after her election, her government's budget plan was rejected by the Riksdag. The opposition's budget passed instead. Because the opposition's budget had support from the Sweden Democrats, the Green Party left Andersson's coalition. This caused Andersson to resign before she even formally took office.
She then said she was interested in leading a government with only her party. On 29 November, Andersson was elected Prime Minister again. This time, she won by a very small number of votes. On 30 November, she and her government officially took office. Magdalena Andersson became Sweden's first female prime minister.
In her first speech as party leader, Andersson said that people who move to Sweden must learn Swedish, work, and finish high school to receive welfare support. She also said that migrant men must allow their female family members to work.
Key Actions as Prime Minister
As Prime Minister, Andersson introduced new rules to control the COVID-19 pandemic. These included working from home, keeping distance in public places, and using masks on public transport. She also stressed the importance of getting vaccinated.
In January 2022, Andersson herself tested positive for COVID-19. She continued to work remotely.
In June 2022, the Sweden Democrats tried to remove the Minister for Justice, Morgan Johansson. They said he was not doing enough about gang violence. Andersson stated that if Johansson was removed, her entire government would resign. She said that in Sweden, the government makes decisions together, so removing one minister for political reasons would mean removing the whole government.
Leading up to the general election in September 2022, Andersson's leadership moved the Social Democrats more to the left. They focused on reducing inequality. The Social Democrats remained the largest party in the Riksdag in the election. However, the group of parties supporting Andersson lost to a group of right-wing parties.
On 14 September, Andersson accepted defeat and announced she would resign as prime minister. She remained in charge of a temporary government until a new one was formed. Ulf Kristersson became the new prime minister on 18 October.
Important Foreign Policy Decisions
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and the Social Democrats started to rethink their long-standing policy of neutrality. This meant Sweden had not taken sides in wars.
Joining NATO
.jpg)
On 15 May, Andersson's party announced that they supported Sweden joining NATO. This was a big change from their previous policy. Andersson said Sweden did not want permanent NATO bases or nuclear weapons on its land. She also supported the European Union's decision to ban most Russian oil imports.
Turkey initially opposed Sweden joining NATO. They claimed Sweden hosted groups that Turkey considered terrorists. On 28 June 2022, during a NATO meeting in Madrid, Turkey agreed to drop its opposition. This happened after Sweden and Finland signed an agreement addressing Turkey's concerns.
Her Views on Migration
Magdalena Andersson has spoken about her views on migration and integration in Sweden. She supports policies that help people from different backgrounds live together. She has said that Sweden should avoid having separate areas like "Chinatown" or "Somalitown." Instead, she believes people should live mixed together.
After the 2022 election, Andersson said she was happy with the new government's stricter policies on migration. She stated that the previous Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven, had already started a big change in migration policy after the 2015 refugee crisis.
Other Important Roles
Magdalena Andersson has held several other important international roles:
- She was a member of the Board of Governors for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
- She was also a member of the Board of Governors for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
- She served on the Board of Governors for the European Investment Bank (EIB) since 2014.
- She was a member of the Board of Governors for the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), part of the World Bank Group.
- She was the Chairwoman of the Board of Governors for the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB).
- She was a member of the Board of Governors for the World Bank.
Personal Life
Magdalena Andersson is married to Richard Friberg. He is a professor of economics at the Stockholm School of Economics. They got married in 1997 and have two children.
They enjoy spending time outdoors. They often go hiking, kayaking, and mountaineering.
See also
In Spanish: Magdalena Andersson para niños
