Alf Svensson

This article is about the politician. For the guitarist, see Alf Svensson (guitarist).
Alf Svensson
Member of European Parliament
In office
14 July 2009  1 July 2014
Chairman of the Christian Democrats
1971-2004
In office
1971–2004
Preceded by Birger Ekstedt
Succeeded by Göran Hägglund
Minister for Development Cooperation
In office
1991–1994
Preceded by Lena Hjelm-Wallén
Personal details
Born (1938-10-01) 1 October 1938
Tidan, Västergötland, Sweden
Political party Christian Democrats in Sweden
Occupation Adjunkt
Religion Church of Sweden (Lutheran)[1]

Alf Robert Olof Svensson (born 1 October 1938) is a Swedish politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2014.[2] Svensson was the leader of the Christian Democrats in Sweden between 1973 and 3 April 2004.[2] He was a Member of Parliament from 1985 to 1988 and again from 1991 until his election to the European Parliament in 2009.[2] Between 1991 and 1994 he was Minister for Development Cooperation in the liberal-conservative Cabinet led by Prime Minister Carl Bildt.[2]

Biography

Svensson was educated as a teacher, and worked as teacher in Swedish and history at a school in Huskvarna from 1963 to 1973.[3]

He was a member of the Christian Democrats from its foundation in 1964, and was one of the founders of its youth wing, Young Christian Democrats, in 1966, and was its chairman from 1970 to 1973. In 1973 he became the leader of the party, after its first leader Birger Ekstedt had died in 1972.

In the 1985 elections, the Christian Democrats, who had so far not won any parliamentary representation, entered into an election alliance with Centre Party. This gave Svensson a seat in parliament, which made him the first Christian Democrat MP, but he was the only person of his party who received a seat, which was a disappoinment for the party. In the 1988 elections, the alliance had been dissolved, and the Christian Democrats failed to get enough votes to enter the parliament on their own. In the 1991 elections, they managed to get into parliament, and Svensson received a ministerial post in the four-party coalition government under Carl Bildt.

In 2004, he left the position as party leader and was succeeded by Göran Hägglund, but stayed in parliament. In 2009 election to the European Parliament, he was elected as MEP, and left the Swedish parliament.

Svensson, whose leadership of the Christian Democrats spanned four decades (1973–2004), is a firm supporter of the European Union and the Economic and Monetary Union, unlike many of his voters who are in general more skeptical to an introduction of the euro.

Bibliography

References

  1. Swedish Lutherans 1964-2012 (accessed 2012-05-07).
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Alf Svensson". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  3. Alf Svensson: Om Alf, accessed 2011-08-14 (Swedish)

External links

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