Jimmie Åkesson
Encyclopedia
Per Jimmie Åkesson (ˈjɪmɪ ˈoːkɛ.ˈsɔn; born 17 May 1979) is a Swedish
politician
. He is the current leader of the Sweden Democrats
and a member
of the Swedish parliament
following the 2010 general election
. He is under constant protection by the Swedish Security Service
.
, but grew up in Sölvesborg
, Blekinge County
. He was a member of the Moderate Youth League
, the youth wing of the Moderate Party
, for a short while before he joined the old Sweden Democratic Youth Association (the youth wing of the Sweden Democrats
) in 1995. The same year he also co-founded a local chapter of the Sweden Democratic Youth Association. In 1997 he was elected as a deputy member of the party board. The party's policies that he was most attracted to at first were its view on the European Union
, and its policy on immigration
.
In 1998
, at the age of 19, Åkesson was elected to public office as a councilman in Sölvesborg Municipality
. The same year, he also became deputy chairman of the newly established Sweden Democratic Youth (Sverigedemokratisk Ungdom), and later, from 2000 to 2005, was chairman of the organization. In 2005, he defeated party leader Mikael Jansson
in a party election to become the party leader of the Sweden Democrats.
In the 2010 general election
the Sweden Democrats for the first time crossed the election threshold
and entered the Swedish parliament
with 5.70% of the votes. Åkesson, who was placed first on the party's national ballot, was elected as a Member of Parliament
together with 19 of his fellow party members.
Prior to working full-time with politics, Åkesson worked as a web design
er at the company BMJ Aktiv, which he co-founded with, among others, Björn Söder
, the current party secretary of the Sweden Democrats. He has studied political science and some other subjects at Lund University
.
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...
. He is the current leader of the 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...
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...
. He is under constant protection by the Swedish Security Service
Swedish Security Service
The Swedish Security Service , former name Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning , is the security service of Sweden, belonging to the Swedish National Police Board....
.
Biography
Jimmie Åkesson was born in Ivetofta, SwedenSweden
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....
, but grew up in Sölvesborg
Sölvesborg Municipality
Sölvesborg Municipality is a municipality in Blekinge County in southern Sweden. It borders to Bromölla Municipality, Olofström Municipality and Karlshamn Municipality...
, Blekinge County
Blekinge County
Blekinge County is a county or län in the south of Sweden. It borders the Counties of Skåne, Kronoberg, Kalmar and the Baltic Sea. The capital is Karlskrona...
. He was a member of the Moderate Youth League
Moderate Youth League
The Moderate Youth League , officially known in English as the Swedish Young Conservatives, is the youth wing of the Swedish Moderate Party. It had 12 051 members in 2010...
, the youth wing of the Moderate Party
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1904 as the General Electoral League by a group of conservatives in the Swedish parliament...
, for a short while before he joined the old Sweden Democratic Youth Association (the youth wing of the 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...
) in 1995. The same year he also co-founded a local chapter of the Sweden Democratic Youth Association. In 1997 he was elected as a deputy member of the party board. The party's policies that he was most attracted to at first were its view on the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, and its policy on immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
.
In 1998
Swedish general election, 1998
-Election results:Here are the results of the general election to the Parliament of Sweden , held on 20 September 1998.← Riksdag election, 1998 →PartyVotes%SeatsEq¹Party leader/Comment...
, at the age of 19, Åkesson was elected to public office as a councilman in Sölvesborg Municipality
Sölvesborg Municipality
Sölvesborg Municipality is a municipality in Blekinge County in southern Sweden. It borders to Bromölla Municipality, Olofström Municipality and Karlshamn Municipality...
. The same year, he also became deputy chairman of the newly established Sweden Democratic Youth (Sverigedemokratisk Ungdom), and later, from 2000 to 2005, was chairman of the organization. In 2005, he defeated party leader Mikael Jansson
Mikael Jansson
Mikael Jansson is a former leader of the Swedish political party Sweden Democrats . He served as party leader between 1995 and 2005. He was replaced by Jimmie Åkesson.- External links :...
in a party election to become the party leader of the Sweden Democrats.
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 crossed the election threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
and 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. Åkesson, who was placed first 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,...
together with 19 of his fellow party members.
Prior to working full-time with politics, Åkesson worked as a web design
Web design
Web design is the process of planning and creating a website. Text, images, digital media and interactive elements are used by web designers to produce the page seen on the web browser...
er at the company BMJ Aktiv, which he co-founded with, among others, Björn Söder
Björn Söder
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....
, the current party secretary of the Sweden Democrats. He has studied political science and some other subjects at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
.
External links
- Official personal website
- Jimmie Åkesson at the Sweden DemocratsSweden DemocratsThe 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...
' website - Jimmie Åkesson's political blog
- Jimme Åkesson at the Swedish parliamentParliament of SwedenThe 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...
' website