Parisa Mollagholi Liljestrand (born 15 March 1983) is a Swedish politician for the Moderate Party. She is the Minister for Culture in the Ulf Kristersson cabinet since 18 October 2022.[1][2]
Family background
Liljestrand was born in Iran. When she was four, the family fled Iran after the fall of the Shah and during the Iran-Iraq War. Her father was a pilot in the Iranian armed forces and was able to steal a helicopter and fly his family out of the country in the dark over the mountains. After six months at the refugee center in Surahammar, the family finally ended up in Vallentuna.[3] In an article in Svenska Dagbladet in 2016, she said that she "takes every opportunity" to celebrate both Swedish and Iranian holidays. She is for the protection of "the libertarian, the democratic values and independence, not least".[4]
Education
Parisa Liljestrand studied to be a teacher at Uppsala University between 2001 and 2007. She was principal in Vaxholm until 2018.[5]
Career
In 2002, she founded the direct democratic party Demoex, which was represented in the municipal council in Vallentuna between 2002 and 2010.
In 2010, she got involved in the Moderate Party instead. After the 2018 election, she became chairwoman of the municipal board in Vallentuna Municipality.[6] She has also chaired the municipality's Business and Labor Market committee, Planning and Environment committee and the Children's and Youth committee.[7]
In 2022, Liljestrand was appointed Sweden's Minister for Culture.[8] This includes overseeing the government's relationship with the Swedish Sami community.[9] In 2024, the Swedish gaming industry released a list of 15 culturally significant games under assignment from Liljestrand as the culture minister.[10]
Personal life
References
- ^ "Sweden's new Government". Government of Sweden. 18 October 2022. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Sweden, Radio (18 October 2022). Ulf Kristersson names ministers in his three-party government. Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ Brandel, Tobias (18 January 2016). "Flyktingen från Iran som blev kommunalråd". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ Josefsson/TT, Elin Swedenmark/TT, Ann Edliden/TT, Erika (18 October 2022). ""Oprövat kort" blir ny kulturminister". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Lindgren, Hannah; Rådegård, Isabella; Ekelin, Martin (18 October 2022). Parisa Liljestrand (M) blir ny kulturminister (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 August 2023.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ "Kommunstyrelsen". vallentuna.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Parisa Liljestrand – Förtroendevalda i Vallentuna kommun". 6 February 2022. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "KEY POINTS: Everything you need to know about Sweden's new government". The Local Sweden. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Szumski, Charles (4 September 2023). "Swedish Sami minister refuses to meet with the indigenous group this year". euractiv.com. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ Sarkany, Adrienn (9 July 2024). "Swedish Games Industry Announces 15 Culturally-Significant Games". European Gaming Industry News. Retrieved 31 January 2025.