Stockholm (ANTARA News) - Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and his wife Filippa have separated after 20 years of marriage, the press office of the Nordic country`s centre-right leader said on Wednesday.

The statement gave no reason for the separation.

The couple have been the darlings of Sweden`s centre-right Moderates party, which swept to power in 2006, and Filippa is a politician in her own right, representing the party at local level in the Stockholm area.

Fredrik, 46, and Filippa, 44, have been married since 1992 and have three children, the youngest 11 years old.

Under Swedish law, a couple with children under the age of 16 must wait six months for a divorce to be granted after the formal application, even if both parents agree to the divorce.

The statement did not say wh ther the couple would file for a divorce.

Earlier this week, Swedish media reported that the Reinfeldts had sold their house in northern Stockholm and bought a smaller home in the same area.

Divorce is common in Sweden and is generally not seen as a political liability. Former Social Democratic Prime Minister Goran Persson went through a divorce during his time in government, in 2002.

(I025)

Editor: Ella Syafputri
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