Jimmie Åkesson has said that he wants to become prime minister after the next election – at the same time voter support for SD is decreasing.
Marcus Oscarsson reviews his chances of becoming prime minister in the future.
– He has a much better chance in the 2030 election, he says.
In recent days, information has appeared in the press that Jimmie Åkesson wants to become prime minister after the next election in 2026. This election, the Sweden Democrats wanted to sit in the government, but instead became part of the government base by supporting the blue bloc.
– In 2026, you want to become prime minister. I would say getting into government and getting ministerial posts is probably more likely. But in the 2030 election, he has a much better chance of becoming prime minister, says Marcus Oscarsson.
Losing in the opinion polls
But that assumes that the blue block continues to win the elections even two terms in the future and that the SD maintains its position as the largest party in that team, says Marcus Oscarsson.
SD has lost in opinion polls since the last election, going from 20.5 percent to 18.2 percent. What has affected the Sweden Democrats most negatively since the election has been Rasmus Paludan’s Koran burnings, according to Marcus Oscarsson.
– They were not positive about the Koran burnings, but it was perceived that way because they had criticism from other places, this about how much one should be allowed to say in Sweden and the media. They lost a lot of that, that they appeared to be almost allied with Paludan and had a hard time shaking this off.
Is a rollercoaster ride
Something that has generated positive reactions towards the party has been their statements about language requirements for staff at the nursing home, says Marcus Oscarsson.
– That’s how the party used to be that they managed to come up with proposals that I think would be quite popular with many voters. But it’s this that’s a bit up and down, so it’s a rollercoaster ride so far.