“The opponents are not ourselves”

In a week, Daniel Helldén may become the new mouthpiece, but the election looks like it will be a nail-biter.

At the same time, he does not recognize the debate climate within the party, which he says has hardened.

– People write in a way they don’t usually do.

Daniel Helldén is the election committee’s proposal for a new mouthpiece in the Green Party. This does not mean that it is a foregone conclusion that he will be the choice of the Congress next Saturday.

So far, none of the major districts have come out and taken a stand for either candidate. The Stockholm district, which is Daniel Helldén’s home district, will not have a common line, but representatives will vote freely.

On the other hand, both Gothenburg and Grön Ungdom have declared to vote for Daniel Helldén’s one opposing candidate, party board member Magnus P Wåhlin.

“Strong support”

Many environmentalists say anything can happen in Congress. Daniel Helldén himself is open to it being even.

– But I feel that I have strong support. The selection committee represents the entire country and they have done a proper review, in which they have weighed both suitability and support, he says.

Only one conference room is located between Daniel Helldén’s and Märta Stenevis’ respective offices in the Riksdag. In the media, the distance between the two mouthpiece candidates has been described as significantly greater.

TT: Why do you think it is questioned whether you and Märta Stenevi will be able to work together?

– We have both said things that were pointed. I think that affects the image. I have talked more about climate and the environment and she has raised social issues. Everyone has seen it as a conflict. But we cannot carry out a sustainable transition without the social pieces, they are connected. Then that press conference diluted the media’s image, but I don’t think the media image is correct, says Daniel Helldén.

The press conference he refers to is the one where he was to be presented as the selection committee’s proposal, but which had to be postponed.

According to several media, the reason for this was that Märta Stenevi did not want to be presented together with Helldén and instead went to Skåne. According to Märta Stenevi herself, family reasons were behind it. The next day it was gone.

Since then, according to Helldén, the two mouthpiece candidates have “talked together” on several occasions.

Negative campaigning

The fact that the party is seen and heard a lot now, he believes, is basically a good thing.

– We have never had as much media space as now. Media space is always good because it brings attention. This means that our politics are also talked about, we find out where we are going, which candidates we have and where we stand in relation to the Tidö parties, he says.

However, he is not completely satisfied with the way the internal debate is conducted. According to Helldén, the Green Party has a rule that states that it does not engage in negative campaign activities. He believes it has been abandoned.

– Now there is an unusual amount of debate and people write in a way that they don’t usually do. I have not seen this in the Green Party before. It is not good for the party, he says and continues:

– Regardless of who is elected, we must then move on and have a united party. The opponents are not ourselves, but the Tidö parties.