Göran Persson
| Göran Persson | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 31st Prime Minister of Sweden | |
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In office 22 March 1996 – 6 October 2006 (10 years, 198 days) |
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| Monarch | Carl XVI Gustaf |
| Deputy |
Lena Hjelm-Wallén Margareta Winberg Marita Ulvskog Lars Engqvist Bo Ringholm |
| Preceded by | Ingvar Carlsson |
| Succeeded by | Fredrik Reinfeldt |
| Leader of the Social Democrats | |
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In office 22 March 1996 – 17 March 2007 (10 years, 360 days) |
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| Preceded by | Ingvar Carlsson |
| Succeeded by | Mona Sahlin |
| Minister for Finance | |
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In office 7 October 1994 – 22 March 1996 (1 year, 167 days) |
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| Prime Minister | Ingvar Carlsson |
| Preceded by | Anne Wibble |
| Succeeded by | Erik Åsbrink |
| Minister for Schools | |
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In office 12 March 1989 – 4 October 1991 (2 years, 206 days) |
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| Prime Minister | Ingvar Carlsson |
| Preceded by | Bengt Göransson |
| Succeeded by | Beatrice Ask |
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Member of the Swedish Parliament for Södermanland County |
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In office 1 October 1979 – 11 June 1985 (5 years, 253 days) |
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In office 5 October 1991 – 30 April 2007 (15 years, 207 days) |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
20 January 1949 Vingåker, Södermanland, Sweden |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Gunnel Claesson (1978-1994; divorced) Annika Barthine (1994-2003; divorced) Anitra Steen (m. 2003-present) |
| Residence | Övre Torp, Södermanland |
| Alma mater | Örebro University College |
| Cabinet | Cabinet of Persson |
| Religion | Lutheran/Church of Sweden |
| Signature |  |
Hans Göran Persson (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈʝœːran ˈpæːʂɔn]; born 20 January 1949) served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and was leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007.
Persson was first elected to the Swedish Parliament in 1979, representing Södermanland County but left in 1985 to serve as Municipal Commissioner of Katrineholm, which he did from 1985 to 1989. In 1991, he was re-elected to the Parliament and represented the same constituency. He served as Minister for Schools from 1989 to 1991 in Ingvar Carlsson’s first and second cabinets. From 1994 to 1996, Persson served as Minister for Finance in Ingvar Carlsson’s third cabinet.
After that Ingvar Carlsson announced his retirement from the position of Prime Minister, Persson was chosen to become the new Prime Minister. Persson began as Prime Minister where he left office as Minister for Finance - by continuing to spearhead government efforts to alleviate Sweden's chronic budget deficit. In 1994, the annual shortfall was about 13% of GDP. But after implementing welfare cuts and tax increases, it fell to a projected 2.6% of GDP in 1997, which placed Sweden in a position to qualify for the European Economic and Monetary Union. However, the cost was high: unemployment rose, hovering persistently around 13%, then suddenly fell to about 6.5% the same year. In the 1998 general election, the Social Democrats gained even fewer votes than in the 1991 general election, when they got voted out of office. Persson could remain as Prime Minister with the support of the Green Party and the Left Party.
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