Björn von Sydow (born November 26, 1945) is the current speaker (talman) of the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament. He has held this office since the 2002 election, succeeding Birgitta Dahl, and it will last until the 2006 election . A member of the Social Democratic Party, he had been Minister of Defence in Göran Persson's government between 1997 and 2002, preceded by a short term as Minister of Trade.

Apart from leading the Riksdag debates, von Sydow would have a key role in the case of the government resigning, which is generally seen as unlikely. He would also serve as head of state in the absence of the King and his three children, e.g. if they all went on a journey abroad.

Despite his name, von Sydow is not technically a member of the Swedish nobility, having taken his mother's surname. He is however a distant relative of the famous actor Max von Sydow. Björn von Sydow lives in Solna outside Stockholm, is married and has four children.

External links

• Curriculum Vitae in English

|- style="text-align: center;" | width="30%" |Preceded by:
Birgitta Dahl | width="40%" style="text-align: center;" |Speaker of the Riksdag
2002– | width="30%" |Succeeded by:
Incumbent