A 26-Year-Old Just Became This Country’s Climate Minister

The youngest person to head a ministry in Greta Thunberg’s native Sweden, a 26-year-old was appointed to the position on Tuesday by the country’s new government.

The nomination for one of the cabinet positions was put out by newly elected prime minister Ulf Kristersson, who leads a right-wing coalition backed by the extreme-right Sweden Democrats.

Romina Pourmokhtari, 26, who was previously in charge of the Liberal Party’s youth section, is not well recognised for her support of the environment.

The young minister has previously been a vocal opponent of Mr. Kristersson’s decision to bring his party closer to the Sweden Democrats (SD).

‘Without SD, Ulf Kristersson – unquestionably. No gratitude for Ulf Kristersson with SD,’ She stated this in a tweet in 2020.

The young woman, who was born in the Stockholm suburbs to an Iranian family, received the climate and environment portfolio and broke the previous record for the youngest minister, which stood at 27 years old.

Teen climate activist Thunberg, whose vast global campaign involving millions of adolescents has triggered a torrent of debate on the dangers of climate change, is also a native of Sweden.

After Mr. Kristersson negotiated an agreement with his allies and the nationalist, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, who agreed to back the government in exchange for policy commitments, particularly on immigration and crime, the coalition government for Sweden was revealed on Friday.

As the nation is dealing with tensions with Russia, Mr. Kristersson also announced the formation of a new minister post for ‘civil defence.’

The Sweden Democrats, who came in second place to the Social Democrats, who had controlled Swedish politics since the 1930s, were the election’s biggest winners.

Tensions have emerged inside the Liberal Party, whose backing is also crucial for Mr. Kristersson’s survival, as a result of the Sweden Democrats’ substantial influence over the four-party agreement.