Sweden gets a new foreign minister after Billström’s shock departure last week

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A new foreign minister was named in Sweden on Tuesday, nearly a week after the post was vacated in a surprise resignation.

The move to appoint Maria Malmer Stenegard, 43, came after Tobias Billström said on Sept. 4 that he was leaving the government in a shock departure. Malmer Stenegard had previously been migration minister.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also made other changes to his center-right government as part of a Cabinet shakeup.

Johan Forssell, who was development minister, takes up the migration portfolio vacated by Malmer Stenegard. Benjamin Dousa replaces Forssell as development minister.

The Swedish government leader also tapped Jessica Rosencrantz as the new European Union affairs minister. She replaces Jessika Roswall, who was nominated as Sweden’s new EU commissioner in July.

All are members of Kristersson’s conservative Moderates party.

Finally, two Liberal ministers swapped roles: Johan Pehrson became education and research minister, while Mats Persson became minister for employment and integration.

In October 2022, Kristersson formed a center-right, minority Cabinet with his own Moderates, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats. It was relying on Sweden Democrats, the populist party with far-right roots that supports the government but isn’t a part of it.

Kristersson’s announcement was made as Swedish lawmakers returned to the Riksdagen, Sweden’s 349-seat parliament, after the summer recess.

Billström, who steered the Scandinavian country along a sometimes bumpy road to NATO membership and is a strong supporter of Ukraine, said that he was resigning and that he hadn’t decided what to do in the future.