Sweden’s new government under Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson which was announced on Tuesday includes the country’s youngest-ever cabinet minister.
26-year-old Romina Pourmokhtari has been appointed as the nation’s climate minister, making her the youngest person ever to lead the ministry, reports AFP.
Previously, the accolade was held by Aida Hadzialic who in 2014 became Sweden’s minister for upper secondary school, adult education and training when she was 27 years old. Hadzialic was forced to resign just two years after taking up the post after controversy ensued over her getting caught driving under influence.
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The newly appointed minister for climate and the environment has previously served as the head of the Liberal Party’s youth wing and had in 2020 proposed a meat tax to fight climate change.
Pourmokhtari who was born into an Iranian origin family in the suburbs of Stockholm, has in the past been an outspoken critic of Kristersson’s move to shift his party closer to the anti-immigration and nationalist Sweden Democrats (SD), reports AFP.
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In a Twitter post dating back to 2020, she wrote “Ulf Kristersson without SD – Absolutely. Ulf Kristersson with SD – No thanks”.
Ulf Kristersson has been confirmed prime minister after more than a month of negotiations with the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, who have agreed to support the coalition in parliament, reports Reuters.
With the nation’s inflation at nearly 10 per cent, and the economy headed into a recession, the new government faces a number of challenges.
(With inputs from agencies)
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