New government formed in Sweden

STOCKHOLM: The new government of Sweden was announced on Tuesday, composed of freshly-elected Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and 23 ministers from the Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats, and the Liberal Party.

The minority government will cooperate on budget and policy matters with the far-right Sweden Democrats, which became the second-largest party in the country's parliament following the September 11 general election, Xinhua news agency reported.

The new government was announced by Kristersson after delivering his Statement of Government Policy in parliament. It includes Foreign Affairs Minister Tobias Billstrom, Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson, Defence Minister Pal Jonson, Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer, EU Affairs Minister Jessika Roswall, and Energy, Business and Industry Minister Ebba Busch.

Kristersson said in his speech to the parliament that Sweden is "a country in the midst of several parallel crises", including organised crime, the energy crisis, soaring inflation, a looming recession, failed integration, and obstacles on the road towards becoming a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

"As such, my message today is an austere one: this is a very difficult situation. And it could very easily worsen considerably," Kristersson said.

But he also said that Sweden will once again become internationally known for "green innovations, world-leading education and research, and new jobs not riots and shootings".