Prior to the Swedish general election in 2006 Hägglund's Christian Democrats formed a closer alliance with the three other centre-right parties in Sweden, under the name Alliance for Sweden. After their victory in the elections, Fredrik Reinfeldt of the Moderate Party was asked by the Speaker of the Riksdag to form a new government. Following negotiations between the leaders of the parties in the Alliance for Sweden, Göran Hägglund was named Minister for Social Affairs on 6 October 2006.