Anna-Greta Leijon

Anna-Greta Leijon
Leijon in 2012
Minister for Justice
In office
19 October 1987 – 7 June 1988
Prime MinisterIngvar Carlsson
Preceded bySten Wickbom
Succeeded byThage G. Peterson
In office
11 November 1983 – 15 November 1983
Acting
Prime MinisterOlof Palme
Preceded byOve Rainer
Succeeded bySten Wickbom
Minister for Employment
In office
8 October 1982 – 19 October 1987
Prime MinisterOlof Palme
Ingvar Carlsson
Preceded byIngemar Eliasson
Succeeded byIngela Thalén
Minister for Immigration and for Gender Equality
Deputy Minister for Employment
In office
3 November 1973 – 8 October 1976
Prime MinisterOlof Palme
Preceded byCamilla Odhnoff
Succeeded byEva Winther (1978)
Personal details
Born
Anna Margareta Maria Lejon

(1939-06-30)30 June 1939
Stockholm, Sweden
Died11 April 2024(2024-04-11) (aged 84)
Stockholm, Sweden[citation needed]
Political partySocial Democrats
Spouse
Leif Backéus
(m. 1975; div. 1996)
Domestic partnerAnders Leion (1964–1970)
ChildrenBritta, Svante
Alma materUppsala University

Anna-Greta Leijon (born Anna Margareta Maria Lejon; 30 June 1939 – 11 April 2024) was a Swedish Social Democratic politician.[1] Leijon began her political career in 1964 at the Swedish Labour Market Administration [sv], eventually becoming its director in 1970. From 1973 to 1976, she served as a minister without portfolio and was a member of the Riksdag from 1974 to 1990, notably serving as vice chairman of the Committee on the Labour Market from 1979 to 1982.

Within the Social Democratic Party, she held various roles including membership in the Executive Committee from 1981 onwards. Leijon's ministerial positions included employment (1982–1987), gender equality (1986), and justice (1987–1988), although she did not hold a law degree.[2] However, her tenure as justice minister ended abruptly due to the Ebbe Carlsson affair. Notably, she chaired the General Conference of the International Labour Organization in 1984. Beyond politics, Leijon served as director general of the National Institute of Occupational Health from 1992 and held several public roles, including chairmanship of Sveriges Television (SVT) and Moderna Museet.

  1. ^ "Anna-Greta Leijon". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  2. ^ Beckman, Ludvig (2006). "The Competent Cabinet? Ministers in Sweden and the Problem of Competence and Democracy". Scandinavian Political Studies. 29 (2): 119. doi:10.1111/J.1467-9477.2006.00145.X.