Lööf 'raring to go' as Centre Party head

On Friday, Annie Lööf, 28, will be elected new party head for Swedens Centre party. This will make her the youngest leader the party has ever had, but she enjoys stronger party support than many of her predecessors, according to experts.

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”Party members have considered three candidates and I have a widespread support. It feels fantastic. It is a clear mandate,” Lööf told news agency TT on Friday.

Not only will Lööf be the youngest ever Centre party leader but she will also pick up the reins as a minister later this autumn, with no previous experience of governmental responsibilities.

But according to Lööf she has spent the time since she was made the official candidate by the party election committee to prepare for the two difficult tasks.

”I have utilised these last three weeks to familiarize myself with what is happening in the government and what is happening within the party, so that I can hit the ground running,” she said.

Lööf has also been planning the inaugural speech she will be holding on Saturday.

”I will try to imbue courage in the Centre movement. I am going to talk a lot about the challenges and the opportunities ahead,” she said.

The focus of Lööf's speech will be the importance of sticking by party values. New and concrete policy proposals will have to wait.

According to Lööf, the party needs to develop a brand new party programme, from which new and clear proposals can be chiselled.

Johan Hammarqvist, political editor at Norra Skåne newspaper and an expert on the Centre party told TT that no previous Centre party leader has had as broad support as Lööf has, when the party goes to vote.

”She has an enormously strong mandate and she has every opportunity to take the party whereever she wants to,” he said.