Lena Sommestad
Encyclopedia
Lena Sommestad, born April 3, 1957 in Börje, Uppsala Municipality
, is a Swedish
Social Democratic
politician
. She was Minister for the Environment in the Ministry of Sustainable Development in the Cabinet of Göran Persson
2002-2006.
Lena Sommestad studied social sciences at Uppsala University
and got a PhD degree
in 1992. From 1998 to 2002 she was the Managing Director of the Swedish Institute for Futures Studies. She had not held a politically elected office before, when Prime Minister
Göran Persson
made her Minister for the Environment in 2002.
Uppsala Municipality
Uppsala Municipality is a municipality in Uppsala County in east central Sweden. Uppsala has a population of 200,032 . Its seat is located in the university city of Uppsala....
, is a Swedish
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....
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...
. She was Minister for the Environment in the Ministry of Sustainable Development in the Cabinet of Göran Persson
Cabinet of Göran Persson
Göran Persson served as Prime Minister of Sweden between March 22, 1996 and October 6, 2006. Persson took over after Ingvar Carlsson, who retired as party leader and Prime Minister...
2002-2006.
Lena Sommestad studied social sciences at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
and got a PhD degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1992. From 1998 to 2002 she was the Managing Director of the Swedish Institute for Futures Studies. She had not held a politically elected office before, when Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Sweden
The Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
Göran Persson
Göran Persson
Hans Göran Persson was the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007. Conceding defeat in the September 2006 general election, he announced that he would resign as party leader, and Mona Sahlin was elected to succeed him as...
made her Minister for the Environment in 2002.