The Centre Party (Swedish: Centerpartiet, abbreviated: "C") is a political party in Sweden. The party maintains close ties to rural Sweden. The ideology is sometimes called agrarian, but in a European context, the Centre Party can perhaps best be characterized as social liberal focusing on agricultural, environmental, and rural questions. Longterm key issues have been opposition to nuclear power and proposals to decentralize governmental authority.

The name of the party changed from Bondeförbundet ("Farmers' leauge") in 1957. It had then been the closest ally of the Social Democrats for 25 years, and coalition partners 1936–1945 as well as 1951–1957, but has since revised this strategy in order to establish a closer longterm alliance between the non-Socialist parties, that succeeded the Social Democratic cabinets 1976–1982 and 1991–1994.

Party leaders

• Gunnar Hedlund (1949–1971)
• Thorbjörn Fälldin (1971–1985)
• Karin Söder (1985–1987)
• Olof Johansson (1987–1998)
• Lennart Daléus (1998–2001)
• Maud Olofsson (2001–)

See also

• Liberalism worldwide
• List of liberal parties
• Centrism
• Politics of Sweden
• Prime Minister of Sweden
• Government of Sweden
• Parliament of Sweden
• Elections in Sweden
• Referenda in Sweden

References

• United States Department of State - Sweden

External links

• Official web site