Swedish PM appoints 26-year-old climate minister

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Tuesday appointed 26-year-old Romina Pourmokhtari as the country’s new minister for the climate and environment.

Ms Pourmokhtari is Sweden’s youngest-ever minister and one of five ministers from the Liberal Party in the 23-member Cabinet.

She is of Iranian origin and serves as the head of the Young Liberals, a post she will resign from in November.

Mr Kristersson’s conservative Moderate Party is to put up 12 members of the new cabinet, and the remaining six are from the Christian Democrats.

The new foreign minister is the experienced conservative politician Tobias Billström.

Ebba Busch, head of the Christian Democrats, is to be energy and economy minister as well as deputy prime minister.

Johan Pehrson, head of the Liberal Party, will serve as labour market and integration minister.

In his statement to parliament, Mr Kristersson predicted difficult times ahead in the face of numerous crises. “It’s a serious situation that can still deteriorate,” he said.

He added that the three-way coalition, which will be reliant on the far-right Sweden Democrats to pass legislation, aimed to unite the country.

“I intend to form a government for all who live here,” Mr Kristersson said.

The new government following the September 11 elections was to be officially sworn in by King Carl XVI Gustaf later on Tuesday.

(dpa/NAN)