Håkan Juholt
Encyclopedia
Håkan Juholt, born 16 September 1962, is a Swedish
photographer, journalist, and Social Democratic
politician
who has been a member of the Riksdag
since 1994, representing Kalmar län. He is the current head of the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party.
He is a native of Oskarshamn
, where his father worked as a printer and was a union man, a small fishing town of 17,000 on the Baltic Sea and the site of a nuclear power plant
. His maternal grandfather was the artist Arvid Källström (1893-1967). After highschool (gymnasium
, social linje), he was hired in 1980 as a photographer and journalist for Östra Småland (Östran/Nyheterna), where he is still formally employed but on leave since 1994 when he was elected to parliament. In the early 1980s, he reported from the Solidarity movement in Poland. This local Kalmar
newspaper with a circulation of 13,500 is one of few still owned by the social democratic party.
(SSU). In 1994 he was elected to parliament. In 2004 he was appointed to assistant party secretary. In the spring of 2009 he was temporarily the party secretary after Marita Ulvskog
resigned and before Ibrahim Baylan
took over. Until he became party leader, he was the regional chairman of the social democrats of Kalmar län. He's chairman of the board for Oskarshamn's harbour, John Lindgren's peace fund, Tage Erlander's memorial fund and of the ownership board for the Östra Småland newspaper.
He is the party's spokesperson on defence policy. From 1995 he was a member of the joint parliament-government committee on defence policy (försvarsberedningen), and its chairman in 2000-2007. From 1996 to 2011, he was a member of the parliamentary committee on defence issues (försvarsutskottet), and served as its chairman 2010-2011. He was a delegate to the parliamentarian summits of NATO in 1995 and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
in 1996.
(SSU), called for the whole board to offer their resignation, he was the first to support her.
On 10 March 2011, he was proposed by the election committee led by Berit Andnor
to succeed Mona Sahlin
as the chairman of the party, with Carin Jämtin
as the party secretary. The new leadership was elected during the Social Democratic Congress the 25 of March.
. It was observed in October 2011, when the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet
published an article claiming that Juholt had, from 2007 until his time as head of the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party in 2011, requested 160,266 SEK
too much in allowance
for the residence
he shares with his 'sambo
'. As a result of the claim, he immediately paid back all the 160,266 SEK and stated that we wasn't aware of the rules..
During the crisis, more facts became known. He received further allowance ranging between 5,000–6,000 SEK for a privately owned car and a rented car
. It also became known that the there were really no rules as Aftonbladet had stated, but merely non-written guidelines followed by some, but not all, members of parliament. Seven Social Democratic politicians expressed their opinion that Juholt should resign as head of the Workers' Party, despite holding that position for just half a year. Juholt stated his intent to not resign. There has been some speculation that the whole affair was a result of internal conflicts in the Social Democratic Party, since there is a strong faction that wants to get rid of Juholt.
On 14 October 2011, the Workers' Party's highest committee voted to support Juholt as head of the Workers' Party. The reason given was that the rules concerning the allowances were too unclear.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
photographer, journalist, and Social Democratic
Swedish Social Democratic Party
The Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who has been a member of the Riksdag
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
since 1994, representing Kalmar län. He is the current head of the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party.
He is a native of Oskarshamn
Oskarshamn
Oskarshamn is a coastal city and the seat of Oskarshamn Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 17,258 inhabitants in 2010.-History:The location of Oskarshamn was known as Döderhultsvik since the Medieval age...
, where his father worked as a printer and was a union man, a small fishing town of 17,000 on the Baltic Sea and the site of a nuclear power plant
Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant
The Nuclear power station Oskarshamn is one of three active nuclear power stations in Sweden. The plant is about 30 kilometers north of Oskarshamn directly at the Kalmarsund at the Baltic Sea coast and with three reactors producing about 10% of the electricity needs of Sweden...
. His maternal grandfather was the artist Arvid Källström (1893-1967). After highschool (gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, social linje), he was hired in 1980 as a photographer and journalist for Östra Småland (Östran/Nyheterna), where he is still formally employed but on leave since 1994 when he was elected to parliament. In the early 1980s, he reported from the Solidarity movement in Poland. This local Kalmar
Kalmar
Kalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 62,767 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,776 inhabitants .From the thirteenth to the...
newspaper with a circulation of 13,500 is one of few still owned by the social democratic party.
Political career
From 1984 to 1990 he was a board member of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth LeagueSwedish Social Democratic Youth League
The Swedish Social Democratic Youth League is a branch of the Swedish social democratic party Socialdemokraterna and the Swedish Trade Union Confederation...
(SSU). In 1994 he was elected to parliament. In 2004 he was appointed to assistant party secretary. In the spring of 2009 he was temporarily the party secretary after Marita Ulvskog
Marita Ulvskog
Marita Ulvskog is a Swedish Social Democratic politician. She was a member of the Riksdag 1998-2009. She was the Swedish Minister for Home Affairs from 1994 to 1996 and Minister for Culture from 1996 to 2004...
resigned and before Ibrahim Baylan
Ibrahim Baylan
Ibrahim Baylan, is a Swedish politician and a member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He was Minister for Schools in the cabinet of Göran Persson from 2004 to 2006 and was replaced by Jan Björklund of the Liberal People's Party following the defeat of the Social Democrats in the 2006 election...
took over. Until he became party leader, he was the regional chairman of the social democrats of Kalmar län. He's chairman of the board for Oskarshamn's harbour, John Lindgren's peace fund, Tage Erlander's memorial fund and of the ownership board for the Östra Småland newspaper.
He is the party's spokesperson on defence policy. From 1995 he was a member of the joint parliament-government committee on defence policy (försvarsberedningen), and its chairman in 2000-2007. From 1996 to 2011, he was a member of the parliamentary committee on defence issues (försvarsutskottet), and served as its chairman 2010-2011. He was a delegate to the parliamentarian summits of NATO in 1995 and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
in 1996.
Party chairman
After the Swedish parliamentary election in 2010, where the social democrats lost badly, Håkan Juholt criticized the party's campaign. He described it as a popcorn pan, going in all directions. When Jytte Guteland, chairman of the party's youth leagueSwedish Social Democratic Youth League
The Swedish Social Democratic Youth League is a branch of the Swedish social democratic party Socialdemokraterna and the Swedish Trade Union Confederation...
(SSU), called for the whole board to offer their resignation, he was the first to support her.
On 10 March 2011, he was proposed by the election committee led by Berit Andnor
Berit Andnor
Berit Andnor is a Swedish Social Democratic politician. She was Minister for Social Affairs of Sweden 2004–2006.Since October 2006 she is the chairman of the Riksdags committee on the constitution....
to succeed Mona Sahlin
Mona Sahlin
Mona Ingeborg Sahlin is a Swedish politician and the former leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party.Sahlin has been a Member of Parliament, representing Stockholm County, from 1982 to 1996 and again since 2002. She has also held various ministerial posts in the Swedish government from 1990...
as the chairman of the party, with Carin Jämtin
Carin Jämtin
Carin Jämtin is a Swedish Social Democratic politician and the party-Secretary of the Social Democratic Party since 26 March 2011. She was Minister for International Development Cooperation in the Swedish government between 2003 and 2006.-Early career:She has briefly studied at Stockholm...
as the party secretary. The new leadership was elected during the Social Democratic Congress the 25 of March.
Political affair
Håkan Juholt has been involved in a political affairAffair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
. It was observed in October 2011, when the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
published an article claiming that Juholt had, from 2007 until his time as head of the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party in 2011, requested 160,266 SEK
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
too much in allowance
Allowance (money)
An allowance is an amount of money set aside for a designated purpose.Allowing another person to have some money is often referred to as an allowance.-Construction contracting:...
for the residence
Residence
The term residence may refer to:* House* Home* Nursing home* Residence in English family law, pertaining to where children should live in the case of disputes* Habitual residence, a civil law term dealing with the status of refugees, and child abduction...
he shares with his 'sambo
Cohabitation
Cohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...
'. As a result of the claim, he immediately paid back all the 160,266 SEK and stated that we wasn't aware of the rules..
During the crisis, more facts became known. He received further allowance ranging between 5,000–6,000 SEK for a privately owned car and a rented car
Car rental
A car rental or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time for a fee...
. It also became known that the there were really no rules as Aftonbladet had stated, but merely non-written guidelines followed by some, but not all, members of parliament. Seven Social Democratic politicians expressed their opinion that Juholt should resign as head of the Workers' Party, despite holding that position for just half a year. Juholt stated his intent to not resign. There has been some speculation that the whole affair was a result of internal conflicts in the Social Democratic Party, since there is a strong faction that wants to get rid of Juholt.
On 14 October 2011, the Workers' Party's highest committee voted to support Juholt as head of the Workers' Party. The reason given was that the rules concerning the allowances were too unclear.