Björn Söder
Encyclopedia
Björn Olof Söder is a Swedish
politician
of the nationalist Sweden Democrats
. He is the current party secretary
of the Sweden Democrats and a member
of the Swedish parliament
following the 2010 general election
.
, Skåne County
, Sweden
, where he also grew up. After he had completed upper secondary education (gymnasium) in 1995 he began engineering
studies at the Lund Institute of Technology
. Between 1997 and 1998 he made his compulsory military service at the K 3 regiment in Karlsborg
. After finishing his military service he started to study again but took a break between 2000 and 2002 to work as an information technology consultant
. He finished his studies in 2004 when he earned a Master of Engineering
degree in chemical engineering
from the Lund Institute of Technology.
in 1991 but left the party in 1994 after internal struggles and instead joined the Sweden Democrats. He was elected as a substitute member of the party board in 1997 but left the board to serve as secretary of the Sweden Democrat Youth
between 1998 and 2000. Between 1998 and 2002 he was a member of the municipal council
in Höör Municipality
for the Sweden Democrats. In 2001 he was again elected as a member of the party board and later the same year of the party executive committee. In the same year he was also elected as a member of the church assembly of the Diocese of Lund
and as a substitute member of the church assembly of the Church of Sweden
.
At the Sweden Democrats' national meeting in 2003 Söder was elected as deputy party chairman. He left this post at the national meeting in 2005 when he was elected as party secretary
. In 2005 he was once again elected as a member of the church assembly of the Diocese of Lund and as a full member of the church assembly of the Church of Sweden. Between 2006 and 2010 Söder was a member and party group leader of the Sweden Democrats in the Scania Regional Council as well as a member of the municipal council in Helsingborg Municipality
.
In the 2010 general election
the Sweden Democrats for the first time entered the Swedish parliament
with 5.70% of the votes and Söder, placed second on the party's national ballot, was elected as a Member of Parliament
along with 19 other Sweden Democratic politicians. On 24 September 2010 he was elected as group leader of the Sweden Democrats in the Swedish parliament. In October 2010, Söder publicly expressed his support for a spree shooter in the city of Malmö, and expressed his wish for "at least 100 dead" at the hands of the would-be killer.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
of the nationalist Sweden Democrats
Sweden Democrats
The Sweden Democrats is a political party in Sweden, founded in 1988. SD describes itself as a nationalist movement although others use the term far-right. Since 2005, its party chairman is Jimmie Åkesson, while Björn Söder is the party secretary and parliamentary group leader. An Anemone...
. He is the current party secretary
Party secretary
In politics, a party secretary is a senior official within a political party with responsibility for the organizational and daily political work. In most parties, the party secretary is second in rank to the party leader ....
of the Sweden Democrats and a member
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of the Swedish parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
following the 2010 general election
Swedish general election, 2010
A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main contenders of the election were the governing centre-right coalition the Alliance and the oppositional centre-left Red-Greens coalition A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main...
.
Background and education
Söder was born in Väsby, Höganäs MunicipalityHöganäs Municipality
Höganäs Municipality is one of 290 municipalities of Sweden, in Skåne County in the southern part of the country. Its seat is located in the city of Höganäs....
, Skåne County
Skåne County
Skåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where he also grew up. After he had completed upper secondary education (gymnasium) in 1995 he began engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
studies at the Lund Institute of Technology
Lund Institute of Technology
The Faculty of Engineering is one of the eight faculties at Lund University in Lund, Sweden, commonly called LTH . LTH was originally established as an independent institute in 1961, but was incorporated in Lund University as a faculty in 1969...
. Between 1997 and 1998 he made his compulsory military service at the K 3 regiment in Karlsborg
Karlsborg
Karlsborg is a locality and the seat of Karlsborg Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 3,574 inhabitants in 2005. This garrison town lies at the shore of lake Vättern in Västergötland.-History:...
. After finishing his military service he started to study again but took a break between 2000 and 2002 to work as an information technology consultant
Information technology consulting
Information technology consulting is a field that focuses on advising businesses on how best to use information technology to meet their business objectives...
. He finished his studies in 2004 when he earned a Master of Engineering
Master of Engineering
A Master of Engineering or Master of Technology or Master of Science in Engineering A Master of Engineering (Magister in Ingeniaria) (abbreviated M.Eng., ME or MEng) or Master of Technology (abbreviated M.Tech. or MTech) or Master of Science in Engineering A Master of Engineering (Magister in...
degree in chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
from the Lund Institute of Technology.
Political career
Söder first joined the Swedish Progress PartyProgress Party (Sweden)
The Progress Party was a minor Swedish populist political party that existed in various forms from 1968 to the 2000s, when local parties merged with the Sweden Democrats, or developed into distinct local parties. It was based mostly in Scania, although it at times had active local chapters other...
in 1991 but left the party in 1994 after internal struggles and instead joined the Sweden Democrats. He was elected as a substitute member of the party board in 1997 but left the board to serve as secretary of the Sweden Democrat Youth
Sweden Democrat Youth
Sweden Democrat Youth is the youth league of the Swedish political party Sweden Democrats .The youth league was initially founded in 1993 as an independent youth league to its parent party...
between 1998 and 2000. Between 1998 and 2002 he was a member of the municipal council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
in Höör Municipality
Höör Municipality
Höör Municipality is a municipality in the central part of Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Höör....
for the Sweden Democrats. In 2001 he was again elected as a member of the party board and later the same year of the party executive committee. In the same year he was also elected as a member of the church assembly of the Diocese of Lund
Diocese of Lund
-External links:* from Nordisk Familjebok, in Swedish...
and as a substitute member of the church assembly of the Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
.
At the Sweden Democrats' national meeting in 2003 Söder was elected as deputy party chairman. He left this post at the national meeting in 2005 when he was elected as party secretary
Party secretary
In politics, a party secretary is a senior official within a political party with responsibility for the organizational and daily political work. In most parties, the party secretary is second in rank to the party leader ....
. In 2005 he was once again elected as a member of the church assembly of the Diocese of Lund and as a full member of the church assembly of the Church of Sweden. Between 2006 and 2010 Söder was a member and party group leader of the Sweden Democrats in the Scania Regional Council as well as a member of the municipal council in Helsingborg Municipality
Helsingborg Municipality
Helsingborg Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Helsingborg, which is Sweden's eighth largest city...
.
In the 2010 general election
Swedish general election, 2010
A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main contenders of the election were the governing centre-right coalition the Alliance and the oppositional centre-left Red-Greens coalition A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main...
the Sweden Democrats for the first time entered the Swedish parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
with 5.70% of the votes and Söder, placed second on the party's national ballot, was elected as a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
along with 19 other Sweden Democratic politicians. On 24 September 2010 he was elected as group leader of the Sweden Democrats in the Swedish parliament. In October 2010, Söder publicly expressed his support for a spree shooter in the city of Malmö, and expressed his wish for "at least 100 dead" at the hands of the would-be killer.