Lars Engqvist
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Lars_Engqvist.jpg
Photo: Pawel Flato
Lars Engqvist (born August 13th, 1945) is a Swedish politician. He served as chairman of the youth organization of the Swedish Social Democrats from 1972 to 1978, and then worked as a journalist and editor-in-chief. In the early 1990s he was the chairman of municipal government in Malmö, and then president of the Swedish Film Institute before receiving his first government appointment in 1998.
On June 1, 2004 he was appointed as deputy Prime Minister of the Swedish government. The main reason for the appointment was to make him acting the prime minister under Göran Persson, when the latter received surgery in early June. The appointment will not affect his status as the Minister of Health and Social Affairs, but at the same time it was also announced that Enqvist will step down from his government posts on October 1, to become the new Governor of Jönköping County.
In april 2005 he was appointed as chairman of the Swedish public service television company Sveriges Television, succeeding Allan Larsson. The appointment caused heavy criticism because of his close ties to the Social Democratic Party and the government.