Leni Björklund
Encyclopedia
Leni Christina Elisabeth Björklund (born 5 July 1944) is a Swedish
Social Democratic
politician. She served as Minister for Defence from 2002 to 2006.
Leni Björklund grew up in Örebro
. She graduated from Uppsala University
with a B.A. As a local politician, Björklund was a Commissioner in the 1970s and 1980s, first in Järfälla Municipality
north of Stockholm
1977-1979, and later in Stockholm County Council 1980-1989. She went on to work as
Managing Director for the Planning and Rationalisation Institute for the Health and Social Services.
When Prime Minister
Göran Persson
appointed her on October 21, 2002, she was the secretary-general of the Church of Sweden
, a position she had held since 1999. Björklund was Sweden's first female Minister for Defence.
As a female, she has not done any national service
in the military of Sweden, and she was the first Minister of Defence to not have done so.
Leni Björklund holds a honorary doctorate degree
from Karolinska Institutet
, a Stockholm medical university.
Björklund has also been reported to Konstitutionsutskottet several times. In November 2005, she was reported for initiating military co-operation with the dictatorship of Saudi Arabia
.
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. She served as Minister for Defence from 2002 to 2006.
Leni Björklund grew up in Örebro
Örebro Municipality
Örebro Municipality is a municipality in Örebro County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Örebro.The municipality was created from the City of Örebro and surrounding rural municipalities in 1971 and with some areas added in 1974 it had an area of 1,840 km²...
. She graduated from 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...
with a B.A. As a local politician, Björklund was a Commissioner in the 1970s and 1980s, first in Järfälla Municipality
Järfälla Municipality
Järfälla Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, and is considered a suburb of Stockholm. Its seat is located in Jakobsberg....
north of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
1977-1979, and later in Stockholm County Council 1980-1989. She went on to work as
Managing Director for the Planning and Rationalisation Institute for the Health and Social Services.
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...
appointed her on October 21, 2002, she was the secretary-general of the Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
, a position she had held since 1999. Björklund was Sweden's first female Minister for Defence.
As a female, she has not done any national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the military of Sweden, and she was the first Minister of Defence to not have done so.
Leni Björklund holds a honorary doctorate degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area, Sweden, and one of Europe's largest medical universities...
, a Stockholm medical university.
Björklund has also been reported to Konstitutionsutskottet several times. In November 2005, she was reported for initiating military co-operation with the dictatorship of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.