Reinfeldt, John Frerik

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Swedish centre-right politician, leader of the Moderate Party from 2003 and prime minister from 2006. He moved his party towards the centre, focusing tax cuts on low- and middle-income groups. This reduced the ideological divide between his ‘New Moderates’ and the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He united the previously divided Moderate Party, Centre Party, Liberal People's Party, and Christian Democrats to create the Alliance for Sweden, which defeated the Social Democrats in the 2006 general election. The Alliance campaigned to reduce unemployment by getting people off welfare benefits.

Born in Stockholm, he studied at Stockholm University and became active in student politics, joining the Moderate Youth League. In 1991 he was elected to the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament, representing the Moderate Party, and served as chairman of the Moderate Youth League 1992–95. In 1993, he wrote the book The Sleeping Nation, which criticized Sweden's welfare state and advocated a neo-liberal approach.

The maple leaf is a traditional Canadian emblem. Red recalls Canadian lives lost during World War I. White stands for snow. Effective date: 15 February 1965. >>