Already this fall, Demirok was criticized for lack of leadership when he was accused of trying to coup through a decision to support S leader Magdalena Andersson as prime ministerial candidate. The Youth League CUF chairman Caroline von Seth demanded his departure, but otherwise the party seemed to end behind him. In any case, public.
For a while it looked like he would be able to ride out the storm. The public debate about his leadership silenced.
But internally in the party, it has continued to boil. When SVT/Verran’s latest voter barometer showed that the Center Party is now down to 3.8 percent the nervousness in the party. More and more people questioned whether Muharrem Demirok was the right person to lead the party to success, he who seemed firmly parked at the bottom of all the measures of confidence.
When C’s district chairman held a first meeting last week, the criticism of the party leader came to the surface. He was questioned for deficiencies in the leadership. According to SVT’s sources, Demirok did not want to listen to the criticism – he turned away, saying that the criticism rather was based on his choice on the government issue.
The party board was lightly called
The effect was that the resistance to him grew in the circle of district chairman. When a new meeting was held on Thursday, it was clear that Demirok had two options: to either resign or meet public departure requirements.
The criticism was strongest in Skåne, Halland, Western Sweden and Västernorrland. On Sunday evening, several party districts prepared public departure requirements.
But the departure requirements were never implemented. On Monday morning, C’s party board was lightened. The members must have been called there with “a quarter of a notice”, according to SVT’s sources. At this telephone meeting, Demirok announced that he was going to resign. A moment later he announced this during a press conference.
“Difficult to digest cocktail”
Many were surprised the message, and maybe he could have remained for another time as a party leader. But declining opinion figures and record -low confidence among voters are a difficult -to -digest cocktail for a party leader.
In addition, several heavy center parties have seen this spring as crucial to the party leader issue. If a new leader is to have a chance to grow into the role and get warm in the clothes well in advance of the election campaign in 2026, the party leadership shift should take place in the spring of 2025.
So it will be.