Left or right for Sweden after the election?
Two days after the parliamentary election in Sweden, there is still no clear winner. With most of the votes counted, the centre-left opposition, led by the Social Democrats, is three seats ahead of the centre-right governing coalition comprising the liberal conservative Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals, which is supported by the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats. The official election result is expected for Wednesday.
Traditional consensus needed
A stable government in Sweden would be good news given the uncertain geopolitical situation, says Politiken:
“Regardless of whether Ulf Kristersson of the Moderates or the Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson ultimately manages to form a government, Sweden will, in the coming period, need what the country has always been known for worldwide: Swedish consensus, which must take the form of close cooperation across the political centre. In a Nordic region that must prepare itself and become more united in the coming years in the face of a new and uncertain global security situation, Sweden needs a stable government.”
Left minority government possible
Postimees reckons with a left-wing government:
“The formation of a minority government is the most likely scenario because the Centre Party – which holds the balance of power – could decide not to join the government and also refrain from voting against Andersson. The price for this, however, could be a cautious business and tax policy on the part of the new government. Historically, the Swedish Social Democrats have always sought to raise taxes in order to implement welfare policies, but they are now unlikely to secure the necessary votes to do so.”
Conservative majority should be at the helm
Berlingske, however, sees little to be gained from a left-wing government:
“Although the Left Party gained five seats in the election the Social Democrats lost seven, making this their worst election result since 1928. This is pretty disastrous. Regardless of whether there are still some shifts in the distribution of seats, Sweden now has just as convincing a centre-right majority as it did four years ago. The centre-right bloc, ranging from the Sweden Democrats to the Centre Party, currently holds 198 of the 349 seats in the Riksdag. It would be against nature if the most extreme forces on the left were able to translate this distribution of seats into wielding political power in Sweden.”
The general direction is undisputed
No matter whoever governs Sweden, the priorities remain the same, Helsingin Sanomat argues:
“In Sweden the political parties can afford to compete over who offers voters the best incentives. Public finances are in good shape and public debt is low by international standards. The rapid rise in defence spending is not, at least for the time being, forcing Sweden to adopt austerity measures, as is the case in Finland. … The next government could emerge from either bloc or in some other configuration, but both blocs have much the same view on what is their main task: to keep the Swedish economy strong enough to finance both the welfare state and the rapidly rising defence spending.”
How to weaken the far right
The election in Sweden has shown that there are alternatives to the firewall policy, Corriere della Sera concludes:
“Following the example set by Mette Frederiksen in Denmark, Andersson has pursued a three-pronged strategy that enables the Swedish Social Democrats to occupy territory previously unfamiliar to them without simply endorsing the far right's positions on migration and the fight against crime. ... The far right appears to lose momentum when centrist forces – be they social democratic or conservative – attempt to formulate a credible and non-demagogic response to people's genuine concerns, without inciting them with inflammatory, unrealistic and hate-filled slogans calling for remigration, mass deportations or the death penalty.”
RIght-wing populists not popular with first-time voters
Aftonbladet is optimistic in view of the Sweden Democrats' losses:
“The Sweden Democrats are also losing ground among first-time voters. ... In the nationwide school elections, the SD recorded the sharpest decline of any party, a drop of around 7 percentage points. At the same time, although far-right parties such as Alternative for Sweden and the Örebro Party achieved a combined total of 3.7 percent, having received virtually no support at all in 2022, this nevertheless points to an overall loss of around 3.3 percentage points for far-right parties among young people. Whatever the reason for this decline, it is an incredible victory for all those who believe in a united society where people are not pitted against one another. There must be no more 'us and them', but only 'us', as Olof Palme once said.”
Jointly assume responsibility
Dagens Nyheter says pressure should be exerted on conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to reach out to the Social Democratic leader:
“Magdalena Andersson has made clear throughout the election campaign that she is interested in working with the Moderates. So far, Kristersson has dismissed such ideas with nothing short of derision. But defeat will soon be a reality. The only option left to him will be life in opposition. ... Or a new path. Because if [Björn] Borg, the Wallenberg [family] and the billionaires who campaigned alongside the Moderates are serious about their concerns, there is only one sensible course of action: to exert pressure on the Moderates. And ensure that Ulf Kristersson assumes responsibility.”
A victory for the broad political centre
For Sydsvenskan the Sweden Democrats' loss of support sends a signal:
“Admittedly, this can be interpreted as indicating that two highly polarised camps are standing on either side of a deep divide. However, it must also be noted that a large majority of voters support parties from the broad political centre. The next person tasked with forming a government, whoever that may be, should humbly take this into account. After all, the message is that a large majority wants neither a marked shift to the left – with a billionaire tax and an 'everything for everyone' approach – nor an SD-dominated government that devotes all its energy to deporting people from ethnic minority backgrounds and making their lives difficult.”
Scoring points on social welfare
Ultimately it was a choice in favour of the Swedish model, La Stampa concludes:
“A model based on a strong welfare state, a well-functioning state education system, accessible healthcare and a public safety net that remains one of the pillars of the Swedes' national identity. Following an election campaign that began by focusing on crime, immigration and security and ended with discussions about the welfare state, a majority appears to have emerged at the ballot box that wants to return to Magdalena Andersson's centre-left coalition and weaken the nationalist right led by [Sweden Democrats leader] Jimmie Åkesson.”