Alf Svensson

Alf Robert Olof Svensson (born 1 October 1938) is a Swedish politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2014. Svensson was the leader of the Christian Democrats in Sweden between 1973 and 3 April 2004. He was a Member of Parliament from 1985 to 1988 and again from 1991 until his election to the European Parliament in 2009. Between 1991 and 1994 he was Minister for Development Cooperation in the liberal-conservative Cabinet led by Prime Minister Carl Bildt.

Biography

Svensson was educated as a teacher, and worked as teacher in Swedish and history at a school in Huskvarna from 1963 to 1973.

He was a member of the Christian Democrats from its foundation in 1964, and was one of the founders of its youth wing, Young Christian Democrats, in 1966, and was its chairman from 1970 to 1973. In 1973 he became the leader of the party, after its first leader Birger Ekstedt had died in 1972.

In the 1985 elections, the Christian Democrats, who had so far not won any parliamentary representation, entered into an election alliance with Centre Party. This gave Svensson a seat in parliament, which made him the first Christian Democrat MP, but he was the only person of his party who received a seat, which was a disappoinment for the party. In the 1988 elections, the alliance had been dissolved, and the Christian Democrats failed to get enough votes to enter the parliament on their own. In the 1991 elections, they managed to get into parliament, and Svensson received a ministerial post in the four-party coalition government under Carl Bildt.

Alf Svensson (guitarist)

Alf Svensson is a Swedish heavy metal guitarist. He initially played in Oral from 1984 to 1989. He temporarily entered Grotesque and Liers in Wait before joining At the Gates in 1990. He was their guitarist until 1993. In 1994, he reformed Oral to record an EP. He then formed Oxiplegatz, and went on to release three albums with them. He currently works as art director in First Planet Company (MMO Entropia Universe).

At the Gates (1990-1993)

Bandmember Anders Björler accredits Svensson as a "major songwriter" for At the Gates' first three albums, saying he believes that "he is a great musician", and expressed admiration for Svensson's music. One of the unique composition techniques he used was recording himself playing a part and then playing it back to himself backwards and using the parts which appealed to him. This technique, according to Tomas "Tompa" Lindberg, vocalist for At the Gates, Grotesque, Disfear, and other bands, was probably used for parts of their songs Through Gardens of Grief, Night Comes, Blood Black (both in The Red in the Sky is Ours), and Break of Autumn (With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness). In terms of Svensson's contribution to At the Gates, Björler feels that the guitarist "definitely brought the dark and epic segments" to At the Gates' "overall sound".