Annika Billström

Infobox Prime Minister


name =Annika Billström
order =16th Mayor of Stockholm
term_start =October 2002
term_end =September 2006
predecessor =Carl Cederschiöld
successor =Kristina Axén Olin
birth_date =Birth date and age|1956|4|7|df=y
birth_place =Härnösand
death_date =
death_place =
party =Socialdemokraterna
languagesspoken =

Annika Billström (7 April 1956 in Härnösand, Västernorrland County), is a Swedish social democratic politician. She was Mayor of Stockholm between 2002 and 2006. She was the first female mayor of Stockholm.

Billström's background was as the chief financial officer of Handels, the Swedish Commercial Employees' Union between 1987-94. She entered the Stockholm politics in when she was elected to the Stockholm City Council. She was Road Commissioner 1994-98 and Commissioner in Opposition 1998–2002.

She was appointed Mayor of Stockholm in 2002 by the City Council. Her time as mayor was extremely turbulent, and at one time she came close to being unseated by her own party.Fact|date=February 2007 Two of her decisions in particular were very unpopular with the public, the first being the new entry toll that was introduced for vehicles entering the centre of Stockholm. The toll was introduced even though Billström had promised not to in the running up to the election in 2002. The other decision was to turn a central building in Stockholm (Skatteskrapan på Södermalm) into student housing, which was criticised for being very expensive for the tax payers. After losing the election in 2006, she tried to remain as local leader of the Social Democratic Party,Fact|date=February 2007 but was replaced by Carin Jämtin.

External links

* [http://www.annikasblogg.se/about/annika Annika Billström's blog]