John Fredrik Reinfeldt is a Swedish economist and former politician who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 2006 to 2014 and as leader of the Moderate Party from 2003 to 2015.
Born on 4 August 1965 in Österhaninge, Stockholm County, he spent part of his early childhood in London while his father worked as a consultant for Shell before the family returned to Sweden and settled in the Stockholm area, eventually in Täby.
He studied business administration and economics at Stockholm University, completed military service as a ranger, and entered politics through the Moderate Youth League.
At the age of 41 he became the third-youngest prime minister in Swedish history.
After leaving office he has remained active in public life, including a period as chairman of the Swedish Football Association.
Siblings
Fredrik is the eldest of three brothers. His younger brothers are Magnus, born in 1969, and Henrik, born in 1973.
The brothers grew up together first in apartments and a terraced house in the Stockholm suburbs and later in a single-family home in Täby after the family moved there in the mid-1970s.
Their parents, Bruno and Birgitta Reinfeldt, divorced in the mid-1980s.
Career
Reinfeldt joined the Moderate Youth League in the early 1980s and rose to become its national chairman from 1992 to 1995.
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He was elected to the Riksdag in 1991 and remained a member until 2014.
After the Moderate Party’s poor showing in the 2002 election he was chosen as party leader in 2003, succeeding Bo Lundgren.
Under his leadership the party repositioned itself toward the political centre under the banner “the New Moderates” and formed the Alliance for Sweden with the Centre Party, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats.
The Alliance won the 2006 election, ending twelve years of Social Democratic government, and Reinfeldt became prime minister.
His governments introduced labour-market reforms, tax cuts and changes to social benefits, and navigated Sweden through the 2008 financial crisis with relative success.
The Alliance was re-elected in 2010, giving the Moderates their strongest result in decades.
After the 2014 defeat Reinfeldt stepped down as party leader in early 2015.
In later years he served as chairman of the Swedish Football Association from 2023 to 2025 and has held advisory and board positions in international organisations focused on transparency and economic issues.
Accolades
Reinfeldt has been awarded H.M. The King’s Medal in the twelfth size with chain for extraordinary service as prime minister.
He has also received foreign decorations, including the Order of Stara Planina.
His tenure is widely noted for making the Moderate Party competitive again after long periods of Social Democratic dominance, for leading Sweden through the global financial crisis with one of Europe’s stronger recoveries, and for serving as the last rotating President of the European Council in 2009.
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