greenhouse gas emission targets, a reduction in development aid and possible privatization. With 19.1% of the vote for his party, Ulf Kristersson is the weakest prime minister since 1978. He began his term of office with a significantly lower popularity rating than that of the outgoing Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. Prime Minister of Sweden (2022–present) On 18 October 2022, Kristersson as per constitutional requirements was officially identified by the Swedish king as the new Prime Minister, having announced his program earlier that day in a speech to the Riksdag after which he had identified the members chosen for his cabinet. On 27 October 2022, Kristersson and Ebba Busch announced a 55 billion (SEK) subsidy compensation in connection to the high increase of power bills; the subsidy will only be paid out in the energy price zones three and four in the southern parts of Sweden. Foreign policy Political positions and image A 2018 political profile in The Local described Kristersson as exuding "nice guy vibes: smart, humble and reasonable, easygoing and open to discussion" while positioning him to the right of his predecessors on issues such as crime and immigration. He was also described in the same profile as representing the neoliberal wing of the Moderate Party (M). Kristersson himself has described social mobility as one of his core concerns in politics. In his first leadership speech, Kristersson stated that Sweden should become "a country for hopefuls" and that M should be "a party for hopefuls". On the matter of asylum, Kristersson states that he supports the integration of refugees into Swedish society but argues for compulsory cultural assimilation and learning of the Swedish language, and that refugees be put to work and pay tax. Kristersson initially ruled out forming an alliance with the Sweden Democrats (SD) upon assuming party leadership; following the 2018 Swedish general election, he ended the policy of non-cooperation and met with SD's leadership for official talks. Before the 2022 Swedish general election, Kristersson suggested that he would form a loose right-wing bloc consisting of M, the Christian Democrats (KD), Liberals (L) and SD but expressed uncertainty at SD's demand that they be allocated cabinet positions should the right-wing bloc win a majority. Following the election, Kristersson signalled his ambition to form a new conservative government with support from SD. Personal life Kristersson lives in Strängnäs. He is married since 1991 to Birgitta Ed (b. 1968),