The conservative coalition with the participation of the extreme right emerges as the first force after the parliamentary elections in Sweden. However, the formation of a new government is difficult.
The die is cast. Sweden changes political orientation after the extremely marginal result of last Sunday’s parliamentary elections. The delay in announcing the final results is because the last postal vote had to be counted very carefully. At the last minute, a seat passed from the Social Democrats to the camp of conservative, far-right and liberal forces who have united in a united front.
“It worries me how the developments will be”
So outgoing Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson had no choice but to concede defeat at a press conference on Wednesday night and announce her resignation. Today she is coming to the president of the Parliament Andreas Norlen to announce this decision to him, so that he can relieve her of her duties. “We knew all along from the polls that it was going to be a close race, so we weren’t surprised that the election took this turn and not another. But of course it worries me about how the developments here in Sweden will be in the next few years,” she says.
The baton is taken over from today by Ulf Christerson, who together with the coalition of right-wing, liberal and far-right forces has a marginal majority of 176 votes against the 173 of the Social Democrats. To form a majority government in Sweden, which is not an easy task, at least 175 seats are required. So the balances are extremely delicate. Immediately after the announcement of the result, Christerson sent a message of unity to the people via Instagram.
And the far-right in the government
“Sweden has an election result,” he says. “The moderate political forces and the other parties on my side were mandated for the change we asked for. Now begins the task of forming a new effective government, a government for all of Sweden and for all citizens. I am proud of the trust we have received, but I also know that there is a lot of frustration in society. There is fear, violence, concern about the economy. The outside world is very uncertain and political polarization has become very great, even in Sweden. Therefore, my message is that I want to unite, not divide, to see what unites, but also to respect real differences. I want to instill hope. Even big problems can be solved. Thank you for your trust.”
The participation of the far-right party “Sweden Democrats” is taken for granted. It received the most votes among the right-wing coalition parties, but its leader Jimmy Akesson is still seen as unlikely to be given the mandate to form a government. The other parties are not going to accept it. Akesson’s party first entered parliament in 2010 and has been on the rise ever since. In 2012 he introduced a “zero tolerance against racism and extremism” policy, but earlier argued that Muslim immigration was the biggest external threat since World War II.
DW – Irini Anastasopoulou
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
