Goran Persson served as Swedish Prime Minister for ten years. During his premiership he dealt with the Gothenburg riots, the murder of a Foreign Minister and the fall-out from the publication of anti-Islamic cartoons in Denmark. He is now more widely known for his term as Finance Minister, when he introduced dramatic welfare cuts and tax increases to address a severe budget deficit. The ‘Persson Plan’ is seen by many as a blueprint for rebalancing the economy.
Goran Persson is the former Prime Minister of Sweden, a position he held for ten years. He was leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, stepping down after the 2006 General Election.
Before becoming Premier, Goran devised the ‘Persson-plan,’ targeting growing problems with unemployment and a huge budget deficit. The Social Democrats recorded a resounding win in the next election, after which Persson became Minister for Finance. He immediately focused on rebalancing the economy.
Elected to the leadership two years later, Persson continued to implement welfare cuts and tax increases, which put Sweden in a position to qualify for the European economic and monetary union in just four years. His measures meant that the ‘Swedish model’ of welfare society was, and still is, held as a shining example throughout Europe.
During his premiership, Persson also dealt with the Gothenburg riots, the murder of his Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, and the conflict arising from the publication of controversial Muhammed cartoons in Danish papers. He is a highly regarded public speaker, sharing his experience of steering economic recovery with business audiences across the world.
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