Olof Johansson

Sten Olof Håkan Johansson (born 31 July 1937) is a Swedish politician, who was the leader of the Swedish Centre Party from 1987 to 1998 and Minister for the Environment from 1991 to 1994.

Olof Johansson
Olof Johansson in February 2012
Minister for Energy
In office 8 October 1976 – 18 October 1978
Prime Minister	Thorbjörn Fälldin
Preceded by	Post established
Succeeded by	Carl Tham
Deputy Minister for Budget
In office 12 October 1979 – 8 October 1982
Prime Minister	Thorbjörn Fälldin
Preceded by	Post established
Succeeded by	Post abolished
Minister of Communications (Transport) (acting)
In office 5 May 1981 – 22 May 1981
Prime Minister	Thorbjörn Fälldin
Preceded by	Ulf Adelsohn
Succeeded by	Claes Elmstedt
Minister for the Environment
In office 4 October 1991 – 16 June 1994
Prime Minister	Carl Bildt
Preceded by	Birgitta Dahl
Succeeded by	Görel Thurdin
Personal details
Born	Sten Olof Håkan Johansson (1937-07-31) 31 July 1937 Ljungby, Sweden
Political party	Centre Party
Alma mater	Stockholm School of Economics

Olof Johansson was born in Ljungby, Kalmar County. He studied at the Stockholm School of Economics, and was the leader of the Centre Party youth organisation from 1969 to 1971. In 1971 he was elected a Member of the Swedish Parliament, a position he held until 1976, and again 1978–1979 and 1982–1998. He held cabinet posts in the centre-right governments 1976–1978 and 1979–1982. In 1987 he succeeded Karin Söder, who stepped down due to health reasons, as the leader of the Centre Party. When the centre-right regained power in 1991, Johansson became Minister for the Environment in the Carl Bildt government, but left the post over his opposition to the construction of the Oresund Bridge in the summer of 1994, shortly before the Social Democrats regained power in the September elections.

After having seen his party doing badly in the elections of 1994 and still trailing in the polls less than a year before the upcoming 1998 elections, Johansson stepped down as party leader, leaving the fate of the party in the hands of his little-known successor Lennart Daléus, prompting the Centre Party to print election posters with a portrait of Daléus, simply saying "This is Lennart".

In 1999, he was awarded the Illis quorum.[1]

After his withdrawal from politics he has been appointed as Chairman of the board of various institutions and companies. Most notably, he was the chairman of the Swedish state-owned alcohol monopoly company, Systembolaget, between 2002 and 2009.[2]