Then it was time for center leader Muharrem Demirok’s speech at Almedalen. Half a term has passed and the honeymoon is over. Well, Muharrem Demirok hardly got any honeymoon from the voters. In his speech on Tuesday, he certainly painted himself and the party as winners. So far it hasn’t been like that, but maybe things can turn around for the Center Party. Completely unknown to the Swedish people In the 2022 election, the Center Party got 6.7% and the election result was considered so bad by Annie Lööf that she resigned. A new party leader would take over, who could restore the Center Party’s numbers to the ancient days. After a process, the selection committee appointed Muharrem Demirok. But information soon emerged that he had been convicted of assault twice in his youth. Furthermore, he had not told the selection committee about this. Muharrem was still elected and the Center Party parked around the Riksdag threshold of four percent. Soon his weakest card was revealed. He was completely unknown to the Swedish people. No one trusts anyone they don’t know who they are. You only vote for the one you trust. Demirok’s confidence numbers hit rock bottom and have been there ever since. Demirok’s and the Center Party’s numbers are internally regarded as lousy by a party that does not identify itself as a “small party”. How long would the members last? Many pundits believed that the EU election would be Muharrem Demirok’s litmus test. It is the same barrier to entering the EU parliament as in the Riksdag, four percent. In March of this year, Sveriges Radio published a survey, which showed that 40% of the respondents did not know who Muharrem Demirok was at all. The EU elections were then fast approaching, and if the Center were to end up outside the EU for the next four years, many believed that Muharrem Demirok would be replaced as party leader faster than a salary. Demirok and Wiesner dealt with their cards When the Center Party also appointed the at least as anonymous Emma Wiesner as the first name for the EU election, the mishaps thought that Demirok’s days were numbered. But in the election campaign something happened. Demirok and Wiesner obviously handled their cards well. They not only managed to remain in the EU. They got to keep both their mandates. Against all odds and pundits’ predictions. In TV4’s latest trust survey among the party leaders, Muharrem Demirok did indeed end up last again – after the Green Party’s mouthpiece, who usually park at the lowest trust level. But something has happened. Muharrem has increased his confidence figures from four to eight percentage points. Still last, but a doubling. That, together with the results in the EU election, means that Muharrem Demirok has probably secured his internal shares in the party and everything points to him leading the Center’s election campaign in 2026. In addition, time speaks in Demirok’s favor. There are still two years until the next election and he has more time to become famous. The more well-known he becomes, the more likely it is that his trust will also increase. Muharrem Demirok, when he is asked about the state of public opinion and confidence polls, usually answers that he does not see politics as a sprint race, but as a marathon. It is the one who perseveres in the long run who wins. Possibly he is right.
t4-general