30 January, 2012Stefan Löfven, president of the 355,000 member IF Metall, was elected the Swedish Social Democratic Party acting president after Håkan Juholt resigned on January 21.
SWEDEN: The Social Democratic Party of Sweden on January 27 confirmed that Löfven will take over the leadership of the main Swedish opposition party, initially until its ordinary party congress in 2013.
Löfven, born 1957, has been president of Swedish metal and industry workers' union IF Metall since 2005. He started his career in 1979 as a welder at the company Hägglund & Söner in Örnsköldsvik in northern Sweden. In November 2007, he was confirmed as a new member of its IMF Executive and Finance Committees. Löfven was re-elected at the IMF congress in 2009.
Parliament elections in Sweden are planned for September 14, 2014.
"With his solid union background, Stefan will be an excellent leader for the Social Democratic party. He will give our policies strength and stability," said Anders Ferbe, vice president of IF Metall.
In a video message to the members of IF Metall Löfven thanked for his time as president: "I have been proud to be president of the union, every single day, every hour, every minute". He also said that he will keep his union membership, and always carry his union card with pride.
"I will keep my roots, my thoughts about working life and welfare, and I will get a new possibility to promote them now, for the benefit of workers, not least the members of IF Metall."
"It is important we work together, for a strong, good society for everybody in Sweden. Today we see a society that doesn't make use of the potential of all citizens. There is too little education, too little development, and too much unemployment. One of my main tasks will therefore be to work for full employment and human development for everybody, to realize every individual's possibilities, so that we can create a strong society together."
Stefan Löfven notes that such a society requires solidarity, that people stick together and help each other and cherish everybody's equal worth. "If we do that, then everybody can also achieve real freedom."
"It is bittersweet news for us at the IMF. Stefan has been a widely respected member of IMF's Executive Committee, who has demonstrated a deep commitment to concrete global solidarity and social justice. We wish him best success in leading the Social Democratic Party that together with the people built the Swedish society, to a new rise", commented Jyrki Raina, IMF General Secretary.
UPDATE: On February 1, 2012 IF Metall Executive Committee decided to appoint Anders Ferbe as President of IF Metall until its Congress in 2014. Anders has been vice President of IF Metall since 2006 and has a long history of cooperation with IMF.