Sweden’s Government to be Heavily Influenced by Far-Right Extremism

Ulf Kristersson, head of the Moderate Party in Sweden, is slated to be the new Prime Minister of Sweden. (Flickr)

Sweden’s new government will be led by a right-wing coalition headed by the Moderate Party after the Tidö Agreement, which lays out the coalition government between the right-wing parties, was completed on October 14. The Sweden Democrats, the far-right extremist party, will also hold political power in this government, despite not officially being  part of the coalition.

Sweden held legislative elections on September 11. The right-wing bloc in Sweden won 176 of the 349 seats in Parliament, just three more seats than the left-wing party. This right-wing victory comes as a blow to the left. In one of the closest elections in Swedish history, the right-wing bloc ended the left’s eight-year-long rule of the Swedish government. It also signifies that the Swedish people want a change in direction.

Although September’s election marked a victory for the Sweden Democrats, they only won 20.6 percent of the votes, coming second to the Swedish Social Democratic Party (SAP) who won 30.4 percent of the vote. However, SAP could not form a majority coalition with other left-wing parties. The Sweden Democrats are an extremist far-right party founded in Nazi and white supremacist ideals. Their victory is the most recent case of far-right parties gaining majority power in European governments. 

The right-wing majority in parliament is composed of the Sweden Democrats, Moderate Party, Liberals, and Christian Democrats. In Sweden, mainstream parties have historically employed a policy of “cordon sanitaire,” or an implicit agreement to keep far right parties outside of coalitions. However, these parties had already been aligning their policies with the Sweden Democrats in recent years, which reflects the growing popularity of far-right parties in Europe.

During the election, all the mainstream right-wing parties voiced their support for a government led by the center-right Moderate Party. Meanwhile, the Liberal party remained staunchly opposed to ever forming a coalition government with the Sweden Democrats. Uncertainty persisted surrounding the question of whether or not there would be a four-party coalition and if the Sweden Democrats and Liberals would abstain from joining, leaving a minority leadership coalition between Moderates and Christian Democrats.

Ultimately, the Swedish government announced the four party coalition on October 14. The Prime Minister will be Ulf Kristersson, the head of the Conservative party. However, the Sweden Democrats were guaranteed political influence from outside the coalition. This is a result of the Tidö Agreement signed by all four parties outlining a clear plan for the future of the government. Despite the Liberals having to compromise in this partnership, party leader Johan Pehrson claims the entire party was behind this decision. 

According to the Tidö Agreement, the Sweden Democrats will have a say in drafting laws, amendments to regulations, and budget decisions. This follows through on the head of the Sweden Democrats Jimmie Akesson’s promise that “If [the Sweden Democrats] are going to support a government that we’re not sitting in, it’s going to cost.” As compensation for not getting any ministry positions and supporting coalition, they will get their migration policy. Sweden will likely increase restrictions and regulations on immigrants and asylum seekers to Sweden and create strict requirements for Swedish citizenship. The party wants to cut refugee quota from 5,000 to 900 people. It also plans to crack down on crime with possible stop-and-search powers in high crime zones. Additionally, the party wants to increase nuclear power to decrease energy prices and put a price cap on energy bills.
This partnership creates a shaky alliance between all the right-wing parties in Sweden. It is important to note that the slim majority they created requires all four parties to vote together to pass legislation. If any coalition members defect or are expelled, there will be little this alliance can do. Because of the wide range of opinions between these four parties, particularly between the Liberals and Sweden Democrats, there are many uncertainties regarding the stability of this coalition. Akesson states that “It is time to start rebuilding security, prosperity and cohesion. It’s time to put Sweden first.” It is uncertain how long this coalition will last, but it will likely shape all the European Union’s politics with Sweden gaining the rotating presidency in January.