Minister of Culture Parisa Liljestrand (M): We as a party have a job to do in increasing our trust
The Moderates look at the election 2026.
And the party has a strategy to increase voter support: attract foreign -born.
– We as a party have a job to do in increasing our confidence among people who are not born in Sweden, says Minister of Culture Parisa Liljestrand.
The Moderates gathered this weekend in Karlstad for their annual conference Sweden meeting. And already planning is starting for the 2026 election.
Historically, the party has found it difficult to attract voters among foreign -born people. But that should change. Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand has been commissioned to reverse the development.
She believes that M “underperforms” when it comes to voters with a foreign background.
– Here we see that we as a party have a job to do in increasing our confidence among people who are not born in Sweden, she tells TV4 News.
The plan: Talk about integration
In the election in 2022, M received just over 19 percent of the vote, but almost 14 percent among foreign -born. This may partly depend on the cooperation with the Swedish Democrats, says Douglas Thor, chairman of the Moderate Youth Association (MUF).
– It is not possible to get around that we collaborate with and sound like Sweden Democrats, which these voters often think are racists. Therefore, we must develop politics and communication that show another human view, he says.
But how will it go? The party’s strategists are now looking for messages that distinguish M from SD and a key issue will be to talk about integration.
The Moderates want to convey the message that they look positively at a Sweden where people have different backgrounds.
– People who have a different background than the Swedish should be able to live and operate in our free Sweden, contribute to society and at the same time be able to take advantage of the culture that you have with you, says Parisa Liljestrand.