Swedish PM makes minor govt reshuffle to replace deputy PM

STOCKHOLM — Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on Friday tapped a new deputy head of his centre-left minority government after the departure of Green Party leader Isabella Lovin, who last year said she wanted to quit politics to spend more time with her family.

Lofven said Per Bolund would replace Lovin and would also become environment and climate minister after her.

“I have not chosen to make a major government reshuffle and that is because we are in the middle of a pandemic,” Lofven said, adding all government members “are in full swing to deal with that pandemic.”

Bolund was the minister in charge of financial markets and housing and deputy finance minister.

Lofven, who first became prime minister in 2014, heads a 21-member government, made up of 17 members of his own Social Democratic Party and four from the Greens.

The Associated Press