Incoming Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Tuesday vowed to set the country on a new course on immigration, criminal justice and energy policy as he presented a centre-right coalition government led by his conservative Moderate Party.
The new Cabinet consists of 24 ministers — 13 men and 11 women. Thirteen are Moderates, six Christian Democrats and five Liberals.
The three centre-right parties secured a majority in Parliament after the September 11 elections with the help of the Sweden Democrats, a far-right party that has entered the political mainstream after years of being treated as a pariah by the other parties.
Moderate Party parliamentary leader Tobias Billstrom was appointed foreign minister while the head of Parliament's defence committee, Pal Jonson, another Moderate, was tapped as defence minister.
Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch became energy minister, and 25-year-old Romina Pourmokhtari of the Liberals made history as Sweden's youngest ever Cabinet minister, in charge of the climate and environment portfolio. Elisabeth Svantesson, the Moderate Party's spokeswoman on economic policy, was appointed finance minister.