It has been an election campaign in which the substantive issues have been largely overshadowed. Instead, SD’s anonymous accounts, who should cooperate with whom and the crisis situation for the small parties, have dominated the agenda. It remains to be seen who will win from that, but it is a given that L, KD and C are under pressure.
The Liberals
The situation is worst for the most EU-positive party. If they leave, the party’s anti-SD phalanx will want to explain it with SD cooperation. And if they manage to hang on, the same phalanx can claim that it is thanks to Karin Karlsbro’s (L) clear front against SD. Regardless of the outcome, the SD issue will be a headache for Johan Pehrson (L) going forward as well. But those who hope that L will leave the Tidö collaboration if they lose their mandate will be disappointed. Even the party’s most spirited SD critics probably realize the risks of causing a government crisis.
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The Christian Democrats
Not only has the Borders and Freedoms slogan been confusing, so has the party’s strategy. One day the top candidate seeks conflict with SDNext the party leader goes to bed get as close to their partner party as possible in order to attract right-wing voters who weigh between M, KD and SD.
It doesn’t usually pay dividends in the parliamentary elections, but the fact that the party seems to have increased towards the end is seen as income because the strategy works. While others may claim that a successful electoral run was the merit of Alice Teodorescu Måwe (KD).
The Center Party
Emma Wiesner (C) has put her powder on the climate in the hope of attracting the bourgeois voters who value that issue highly. But it’s been an uphill battle, C ends up low when voters rank the parties’ environmental and climate policies.
In addition, C has once again tried to win voters over its SD opposition. It produced few voters in 2022 and judging by the polls, it looks the same now. Should the party go out of business, many centrists will ask whether Muharrem Demirok is the right man to lead the party in 2026.
Three pressured party leaders, then, but if history is to be judged, the evening’s shivers end in a sigh of relief and eight Swedish parties in parliament in the future as well.