The Social Democrats of former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson remain the largest party and lead the center-left camp. Kristersson is trying to stay in power with his moderate Moderates and the other center-right parties. The relationship with the radical Sweden Democrats once again plays an important role.
Confidence and supply support
The Sweden Democrats supported the coalition government for the past four years without providing any ministers themselves. Their parliamentary confidence and supply support was necessary and gave the party significant influence, especially on migration and crime. Now the party no longer wants to be just a tolerance partner but also wants to take governmental responsibility.
Party leader Jimmie Ã…kesson wants to provide ministers and key government posts after the elections. Prime Minister Kristersson has opened the door for this. The Sweden Democrats stand at around twenty percent and are among the largest political parties in the country.
Promotion
Besides migration and crime, employment, economy, and social security also play important roles. Parties emphasize different aspects, from taxes and public services to competitiveness, entrepreneurship, and jobs. Healthcare and the welfare state are also important topics in the electoral battle.
Change of power
A possible change of power does not necessarily mean a major policy shift in all areas. Government and Swedish opposition are especially close on security and defense. Larger political differences exist regarding taxes and the organization of the welfare state.
Forming a new government could be complicated. Not only are the two political camps very close, but differences also exist within the center-left that could make negotiations difficult. For example, the Centre Party wants a government around the political center, without the Sweden Democrats and without the Left Party.
The recent polls underline how small the difference has become. Center-left holds around half of the votes, while the right-wing camp trails by a few percentage points. The outcome for the Liberals could be important. This small governing party fluctuates around the four percent electoral threshold.
Stricter
Meanwhile, migration remains a clear political dividing line. The governing bloc defends the stricter course of recent years. The Centre Party wants different rules for labor migration and permanent residence permits and aims to make it more attractive for foreign researchers, entrepreneurs, and workers to come to Sweden.
Crime also remains important for the right-wing camp. The governing parties and the Sweden Democrats want to continue their tough approach. Thus, the elections are not only about who will lead the government but also about which parties can together organize enough support after September 13.