Laila Freivalds

Laila Freivalds
Laila Freivalds in November 2004
Acting Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden
In office 1 October 2004 –1 November 2004

Laila Freivalds with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in February 2004.

Laila Freivalds was severely criticised in the Swedish press for the way the Swedish Government handled the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in Asia, and has admitted that her ministry "Ought to have reacted much more strongly as early as Boxing Day instead of waiting for more information." In addition, she was heavily criticised for going to the theatre on 26 December 2004, the day of the tsunami disaster, and for stating that she does not listen to the news when she is not working.

On 21 March 2006, she resigned from her office as minister of foreign affairs, after it was confirmed that she lied to media about her involvement in the closing of a website belonging to the Sweden Democrats, in the wake of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy. During the controversy the Sweden Democrats published a similar cartoon on their web pages, only to be shut down shortly after by their internet service provider. It was initially discovered that the government had been in contact with the provider and suggested to them the closure, but Freivalds maintained to the media that a subordinate had done so without her knowledge.

Offentlighetsprincipen (The Principle of Public Access) – a freedom of information provision enshrined in the Swedish constitution – made it possible to show that this was false. Since all documents in the Swedish state are in principle accessible to the public, internal documents in four places were found that made it clear that she had been fully informed of the event. This information was therefore published in "Riksdag & Department", an intra-governmental newspaper. The potential involvement in closing the website was seen by many as a violation against that part of the Swedish constitution dealing with freedom of the press.

Most journalists suggest that the turning point came after Göran Persson, the Prime Minister of Sweden during this time, publicly criticized the civil servant who suggested to the Internet host that they close the website, only to find out later that he had acted with the approval of Freivalds. It is theorised but not confirmed that the prime minister privately suggested that she resign, which she subsequently did.

Bo Ringholm was Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs ^{[1] [2]} until 27 March, when Jan Eliasson was appointed to the post.

References

1. "Swedish foreign minister resigns over cartoons". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 March 2006. Retrieved 21 March 2006.
2. "FACTBOX-Five facts about Sweden's Laila Freivalds". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 March 2006. Retrieved 21 March 2006.

Political offices
Preceded by Thage G. Peterson	Minister for Justice 1988–1991	Succeeded by Gun Hellsvik
Preceded by Gun Hellsvik	Minister for Justice 1994–2000	Succeeded by Thomas Bodström
Preceded by Jan O. Karlsson Acting	Minister for Foreign Affairs 2003–2006	Succeeded by Bo Ringholm
Preceded by Jan O. Karlsson	Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Acting 2004