Peter Lundgren (politician) explained

Peter Lundgren
Honorific-Suffix:MEP
Office:Vice-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists
Term Start:2 July 2019
Term End:4 April 2022
1Blankname1:Co-chairs
1Namedata1:
1Blankname2:Serving alongside
1Namedata2:
Successor:Charlie Weimers
Office3:Member of the European Parliament
Term Start3:14 July 2014
Term End3:16 July 2024
Constituency3:Sweden
Birth Name:Kent Peter Lundgren
Birth Date:2 February 1963
Birth Place:Bjuv, Sweden
Party:Independent (2019-)
Otherparty:Sweden Democrats

Kent Peter Lundgren (born 2 February 1963) is a Swedish politician who was Member of the European Parliament (MEP), from Sweden, from 2014 to 2024.[1] He was a member of the Sweden Democrats, part of European Conservatives and Reformists.[2]

Lundgren was elected as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in the May 2014 European Parliament election in Sweden. He was re-elected Member of the European Parliament in the 2019 European Parliament election in Sweden. In 2022, he left the Sweden Democrats in response to sexual misconduct allegations.[3]

Career

Lundgren is a former truck driver. He has been a member of the executive board of the Sweden Democrats since November 2013. Lundgren was launched as one of his party's top candidates to the European Parliament on 27 January 2014. On 25 May 2014, Lundgren and Kristina Winberg became the first representatives of the Sweden Democrats to be elected Members of the European Parliament.[4] [5] [6] [7]

In 2015, Lundgren was one of the nominees for the Parliament Magazine award as the best EU parliamentarian in the transport section.[8] [9] This was the very first nominee from the EFDD group. Lundgren did not win the award but said he was happy to be nominated.[10]

Following his re-election to the European Parliament in 2019, Lundgren was elected one of six Vice-Chairs of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group.[11]

Sexual assault controversy

In March 2018, Lundgren was accused of groping a female colleague at a Sweden Democrats party event in Stockholm. In 2019, ahead of the 2019 European Parliament election in Sweden, Kristina Winberg, an MEP for the same party, was dropped from the party's ballot and later forced to leave the party on grounds of having "conspired to smear party colleagues with the help of the media" after Lundgren was confronted by an Expressen journalist over the allegations.[12] Lundgren remained a candidate and was re-elected.[13] In November 2021, the Göta Court of Appeal convicted him for the sexual assault, finding that it was "beyond a reasonable doubt" that he had "touched the breasts of the plaintiff against her will."[14] He was sentenced to pay a 60-day fine.[15]

In March 2022, the Swedish Supreme Court announced that it would not grant leave to appeal to Lundgren for him to work as an MEP. In response, it was announced that Lundgren would no longer represent the Sweden Democrats in Brussels over the conviction but would continue to sit in the European Parliament as an independent while keeping his party membership. Lundgren also stated he would contest the verdict at the European Court of Justice, arguing that he had been wrongly convicted.[16]

Personal life

He lives in Kulltorp and was member of the city council in Gnosjö Municipality until his election to the European Parliament in 2014.[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Home Peter LUNDGREN MEPs European Parliament. 2022-01-02. www.europarl.europa.eu. en.
  2. Web site: SD-kandidat: Jag vill avveckla EU . 31 March 2014 . sv . europaportalen.se . 2014-05-26.
  3. https://data.val.se/val/ep2019/slutresultat/E/rike/personroster.html Final results from European Parliament elections in Sweden
  4. News: Högström . Erik . Baas . David . Julander . Oscar . Succé för SD – tar plats i parlamentet | Val 2014 . . 2014-05-25 . 2014-05-26 . sv.
  5. News: Både Lundgren och Winberg till Bryssel . . 2014-04-25 . sv .
  6. News: Duxbury . Charles . Top Two Swedish Parties Lose Ground in European Vote . The Wall Street Journal . 25 May 2014 . 2014-05-26.
  7. Web site: EXTRA Sweden Democrats win two of Sweden's 20 seats . europeonline-magazine.eu . 2014-05-26.
  8. Web site: Två svenskar nominerade som bästa EU-parlamentariker. 2 February 2015. 4 July 2017.
  9. Web site: Shortlist - MEP Awards. 13 April 2015. 4 July 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20150413122046/http://www.mepawards.eu/shortlist. 13 April 2015.
  10. Web site: Ingen vinst för Lundgren (SD). Emilia. Lindholm. 19 March 2015. vn.se. 4 July 2017. 17 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150717212629/http://www.vn.se/article/ingen-vinst-for-lundgren-sd/. dead.
  11. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/124996/PETER_LUNDGREN/history/9 Peter Lundgren at European Parliament website
  12. Web site: 20 May 2019. Sweden Democrats oust MEP candidate just days before EU election. 23 November 2021. The Local Sweden.
  13. News: Amorelli . Elisa . Peter Lundgren sexually assaulted – allowed to remain a candidate . Svenska Dagbladet . sv . 2019-05-20 . 2019-07-10.
  14. News: Peter Lundgren (SD) döms för sexuellt ofredande . SVT Nyheter . 22 November 2021 . Renulf . Kristin.
  15. Web site: 22 November 2021. Sweden Democrat MEP convicted of sexual assault. 23 November 2021. The Local Sweden.
  16. Web site: Peter Lundgren lämnar SD efter dom. SVT Nyheter. 18 March 2022. 18 March 2022.
  17. News: Lindholm . Emilia . Peter Lundgren kandiderar till Europaparlamentet . Värnamo Nyheter . sv . 2014-01-27 . 2014-05-26.