Karin Elisabeth Svantesson (; born 26 October 1967) is a Swedish politician of the

Moderate Party The Moderate Party ( , , M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative* * * * * List of political parties in Sweden, political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free ma ...

. She has served as Minister for Finance in the cabinet of Ulf Kristersson since October 2022 and has served as first deputy leader of the party since 2019. Svantesson previously served as

Minister for Employment Minister for Employment may refer to: * Minister for Employment (Victoria), Australia * Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Australia * Department for Work and Pensions The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is a Departments ...

from 2013 to 2014. She has been a

Member of the Riksdag Members of Parliament (Swedish language, Swedish: ''riksdagsledamöter'', singular: ''riksdagsledamot'') in Sweden sit in the Riksdag. Description ''Members of Parliament'' refers to the elected members of the Riksdag. In Swedish, an MP is us ...

since 2006, representing

Örebro County Örebro County () is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Västra Götaland, Värmland, Dalarna, Västmanland, Södermanland and Östergötland. It is frequently culturally divided into the hilly northern region of ...

Career

Svantesson studied economics at

Örebro University Örebro University () is a public university in Örebro, Sweden. The university has its roots in the Örebro campus of Uppsala University, and became an independent state university college in 1977, Örebro University College (''Högskolan i Ö ...

between 1987 and 1991. Prior to being elected to the

Swedish Riksdag The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportionally and serving, since 1994, f ...

, she was a university teacher and

doctoral student A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''Licentiate (degree), licentia docendi' ...

. She holds an economics licentiate from 2006. Svantesson was elected to the

in the 2006 general election. In the Riksdag, she became an ordinary member of the Labour Market Committee and a deputy member of the Enterprise Committee. In October 2009 she also became deputy member of the Finance Committee and in November 2009 she became an ordinary

member of the board A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

of the

Swedish National Audit Office The Swedish National Audit Office () is the agency responsible for oversight of the state finances through financial and performance audits of state agencies, state-owned companies and the Government of Sweden. It serves directly under the Riksd ...

. She retained her seat in the 2010 general election and from 2010 she was an ordinary member of the Finance Committee until 2012 when she became chairman of the Labour Market Committee. On 17 September 2013, she was appointed

by Prime Minister

Fredrik Reinfeldt John Fredrik Reinfeldt (pronounced ; born 4 August 1965) is a Swedish economist, lecturer, former Prime Minister of Sweden from 2006 to 2014 and chairman of the liberal conservative Moderate Party from 2003 to 2015. He was the last rotating Presi ...

. Following defeat in 2014, she returned to the

Riksdag The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the parliamentary sovereignty, supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportional rep ...

where she became deputy chair of the Committee on Social Insurance. On 11 December 2014, Svantesson was appointed spokesperson for employment policies of the

and deputy chair of the Committee on Employment. On 17 December 2014, she was nominated to become second deputy leader of the

and she was elected to the position on 10 January 2015. In October 2019, Svantesson was elected first deputy leader of the Moderate Party.

Minister of Finance (2022–present)

Since 18 October 2022, she is the Minister of Finance in the Ulf Kristersson Cabinet. In November she presented the governments first budget bill, which included financial assistance to home owners and corporations to combat the housing crisis, increased police and migration spending, and a focus on renewable and nuclear energy.

Other activities

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank and international financial institution that aims to collectively improve economic and social outcomes in Asia. It is the world's second largest multi-lateral d ...

(AIIB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2022) *

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, shortened to EBRD ( French: ''Banque européenne pour la reconstruction et le développement'' or ''BERD''), is an international financial institution founded in 1991 in Paris. As a multilat ...

(EBRD), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2022) *

European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...

(EIB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2022) *

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) is an international financial institution which offers political risk insurance and credit enhancement guarantees. These guarantees help investors protect foreign direct investments against ...

(MIGA),

World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Group ...

, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2022) *

Nordic Investment Bank The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) is an international financial institution founded in 1975 by the five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). In 2005, the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) also becam ...

(NIB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2022) *

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2022)

Personal life

Svantesson is married, has three sons, and lives in

Örebro Örebro ( ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and ...

. Earlier in her life she was a member of the

Livets Ord Word of Life () is a megachurch in Uppsala and an international association of churches, within the Swedish Word of Faith movement. Livets Ord is the foremost example of the Neo-charismatic movement in Sweden, closely related to Word of Fait ...

, the largest parish within the Swedish Word of Faith Movement and as her father was a pastor, she also attended Odenslundskyrkan, a local church of Equmeniakyrkan, whereas he served at the time she lived in

Östersund Östersund (; ) is an Urban areas in Sweden, urban area (Stad (Sweden), city) in Jämtland in northern Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth-larg ...

. She has also been a member of the anti-abortion movement . When she became Minister for Employment, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt stressed that her previous religious choices had nothing to do with her new job.

References

External links

Elisabeth Svantesson
at the

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Svantesson, Elisabeth Living people 1967 births Swedish Christians Women members of the Riksdag Örebro University alumni Members of the Riksdag 2006–2010 Members of the Riksdag 2010–2014 Members of the Riksdag 2014–2018 Members of the Riksdag 2018–2022 Members of the Riksdag 2022–2026 21st-century Swedish women politicians Members of the Riksdag from the Moderate Party Women government ministers of Sweden Female finance ministers People from Lycksele Municipality