Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson tapped former migration minister Maria Malmer Stenergard to replace Tobias Billstrom, who recently announced he would leave politics altogether.
Stenergard, 43, has no experience in international diplomacy but played a key role in negotiations on the EU's migration reform in June 2023, during Sweden's EU presidency.
She will replace Billstrom, who has served as foreign minister since Sweden's rightwing coalition government came to power in October 2022, and who guided the country through its NATO membership bid.
The 50-year-old announced on Sept. 4 that he was leaving the government and quitting politics.
Stenergard, who has previously worked as a debt collector, is a member of Kristersson's conservative Moderates.
Kristersson announced her appointment as the legislature returned for a new session after the summer break. He also named Jessica Rosencrantz as minister of EU Affairs, Johan Forssell as migration minister and Benjamin Dousa as minister for international development cooperation.
The government reshuffle comes six months after Sweden joined NATO.
"We are in the most serious security situation since the Second World War," Billstrom said when he announced his resignation last week, citing the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.
During her time as migration minister, Stenergard was the face of the "paradigm shift" Sweden had undertaken to reduce immigration.
She has led several high-profile reform projects, including curbing family reunifications, hiking minimum salaries for non-EU workers in Sweden, and facilitating the expulsion of migrants.
