Ebba Busch Thor | |
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Ebba Busch Thor
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Leader of the Christian Democrats | |
Assumed office 25 April 2015 |
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Party secretary | Acko Ankarberg Johansson |
Preceded by | Göran Hägglund |
Personal details | |
Born |
Ebba Elisabeth Busch-Christiansen February 11, 1987 Gamla Uppsala, Sweden |
Nationality | Swedish |
Political party | Christian Democrats |
Spouse(s) | Niklas Thor |
Children | 1 |
Alma mater | Uppsala University |
Ebba Busch Thor, born Ebba-Elisabeth Busch-Christensen, (born 11 February 1987) is a Swedish politician of the Christian Democrats. She is the leader of the party since 25 April 2015, and also a councillor in opposition in Uppsala municipality.
Born to a Swedish mother and Norwegian father, Busch Thor identifies as both Norwegian and Swedish. Growing up in Gunsta, near Uppsala, she was a student at the Christian Livets Ord primary school. She later studied the IB Diploma Programme at Katedralskolan in Uppsala, and peace and conflict studies at Uppsala University.
Busch Thor was the municipal party political secretary for the Christian Democrats councillor Gustaf von Essen in the Uppsala Municipality. In 2009 she assumed responsibility for the budget when Essen went on sick leave, and at the age of 22 she became a substitute municipal councillor. Ahead of the election for municipal councillors in Uppsala in 2010, the party suggested that Busch Thor should be placed third on the election ballot, while the incumbent councillor Gustav von Essen would be first. The party youth organization chairman Charlie Weimers, who did not get to vote in the election, wrote that he thought the party should have Busch Thor at the top of the ballot. In the end, a closed vote within the party decided the top name on the ballot, and Busch Thor beat Essen by a margin of two votes. At the election, Busch Thor received 1,679 votes, against only 220 for Essen. Busch Thor served as vice chairman of the Christian Democrat youth organisation until 5 June 2011.
Busch Thor made several comments to the media during 2010 criticizing the then party chairman Göran Hägglund, and what she perceived as his weak leadership following the 2006 General Election. Ahead of the January 2012 leadership election within the party, she supported Hägglund's opponent Mats Odell. She was also herself a candidate for the post of deputy party chairman at the same election, but lost to Maria Larsson. Previous top names in the party have stated that they strongly disagree with Busch making the party into a right wing party instead of a Christian party and have even threatened to leave their party as a result of Busch's nomination, while perhaps the most popular ex-leader of the party, Alf Svensson, has described his disappointment with Busch's worldview