Sweden appoints Magdalena Andersson as new PM

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Sweden have their first female prime minister since Carl Bildt in 1995

The centre-left Alliance government, led by Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, has confirmed Magdalena Andersson as Sweden’s new prime minister.

Last week, Lofven asked Ms Andersson to take over as economy minister, succeeding the outgoing Stefan Lofven.

Ms Andersson, 45, is the first woman to be named Swedish prime minister.

She is a lawyer and protege of the party she leads, the Social Democrats.

After 18 years in power, Mr Lofven will step down when parliament votes for a new leader next week.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Economy Minister is a protege of current Labour leader Gustav Lindgren

During the 2010 election campaign, Mr Lofven said that he would support women in politics “when I can”.

Ms Andersson’s team have also been unanimously elected as new members of the board of directors of Sweden’s largest business organisation, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (LTDB).

This is also a first for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which issued a recommendation in 1981 that the gender diversity on the organization’s boards should be 30% or higher.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Emil Toft will be the new minister for health, education and sports

The other candidates for the government job were expected to be cabinet minister Emil Toft, leader of the Social Democrats, or Jan Bjorklund, from the Green Party.

Mr Toft has supported women in politics and said at the time of his election as minister for culture in December 2016 that he wants a society where women are as equal as men in the workplace.

A special election to appoint a new parliament speaker will be held on 10 June.

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