Ankarberg Johansson is leaving the government already on Tuesday, according to a press release from the Christian Democrats.
She is also leaving her seat in the Riksdag and will not stand for re-election next year. This despite the fact that she announced as recently as September 1 that she will run for another term.
"I am running for the Riksdag for another period. Healthcare and elderly care are among my priority issues. You should be able to trust the care, whoever you are and wherever you live", she wrote then.
Time for someone else
Now Acko Ankarberg Johansson writes instead that with a year left until the election, it is time for someone else to take over.
"What I will do next, I will return to in due time. Now, closest is the time for loved ones", she writes and continues:
"It has been a privilege to work for and with the Christian Democratic movement".
KD leader Ebba Busch writes on Instagram that Ankarberg Johansson for her "personally and as party leader" has been a "key person in crucial stages of Swedish politics and for our party".
Ebba Busch writes further that it will now be a "change of guard" and continues:
"We will return to this shortly".
Want to "top the team"
According to information in several media outlets, Ankarberg Johansson has been urged to resign, in practice been sacked. It's about shifting into higher gear ahead of the election next year.
There has been dissatisfaction that not enough has happened, that she has not driven enough to nationalize healthcare, says a KD source to Svenska Dagbladet.
The healthcare queues and the much-discussed ambulance shortage in Stockholm are also said to have played a role, according to information to TV4. Fear of losing trust in healthcare issues has led to the party wanting to "top the team", writes Expressen.
"In the near future"
On Tuesday, the Riksdag opens for the autumn and then Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (The Moderate Party) will read out his government declaration. In connection with this, a government reshuffle may also take place.
In a press release, Ulf Kristersson thanks Ankarberg Johansson for her efforts "not least regarding the healthcare part of the civil defense, the national cancer strategy and the successful work to eradicate cervical cancer".
The government writes that they will return with a replacement in the near future.
One of the Christian Democrats' election promises before the 2022 election was to shorten the healthcare queues. A promise that the party has so far had difficulty fulfilling, despite the government allocating an additional one billion kronor this year alone.
Johanna Ekström/TT
Fact: Acko Ankarberg Johansson
TT
The Christian Democratic politician AnnCharlotte “Acko” Linnea Cecilia Ankarberg Johansson is 60 years old and has been Minister of Healthcare since 2022.
She lives in Huskvarna and is married to her husband Bo.
She has been an ordinary member of the Riksdag since 2018, elected for Jönköping County constituency. She was the Christian Democrats' party secretary between 2010 and 2018.
She was previously a municipal councilor in Jönköping for 12 years.
Ankarberg Johansson suffered a stroke two days after the 2018 election. She has also worked as a music teacher and funeral director.
