The center attracts votes with Bengt Westerberg

The center attracts votes with Bengt Westerberg
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In its latest attempt to steal votes from the Liberals, the Center announces that the former leader of the People’s Party, Bengt Westerberg, will vote for C in the EU elections.

But that is not true, according to Westerberg.

– It is a mistake on their part, he says.

  • The Center Party published an advertisement claiming that the People’s Party’s former party leader Bengt Westerberg will vote for them, which Westerberg denies.
  • Westerberg plans to vote for the Liberals in the upcoming EU parliamentary elections because of their candidate Karin Karlsbro’s plan to isolate the Sweden Democrats.
  • This event follows the Centre’s previous request that the Liberals be excluded from the group in the EU Parliament, Renew Europe, because of their collaboration with the Sweden Democrats.
  • ⓘ The summary is made with the support of AI tools from OpenAI and quality assured by Aftonbladet. Read our AI policy here.

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    The battle between the Center Party and the Liberals continues.

    In its latest offensive, the Center is now running an ad in the journal Liberal debate with the text “Do like Bengt and Birgitta. Vote Liberal”.

    The ad is a reference to the former L-top Birgitta Ohlsson choosing to vote for C in the 2022 election. Also former party leader for the People’s Party Bengt Westerberg abandoned his former party in favor of C in the last election.

    But the ad is not correct. Bengt Westerberg has chosen to vote for the Liberals again.

    – In the 2022 election, I voted for the Liberals in the regional and municipal elections, but not in the parliamentary elections. I wouldn’t do that today either as the situation is. But I think it is different in the elections to the European Parliament, says Bengt Westerberg.

    “Very critical of the cooperation with the Sweden Democrats”

    The reason why Bengt Westerberg casts his vote for L in the election next Sunday is that the party’s candidate Karin Karlsbro stands for a line where SD should be isolated, he says.

    – She is very critical of the cooperation with the Sweden Democrats and has no plans whatsoever to have any such cooperation in the European Parliament. That’s what we’re voting on now.

    However, Bengt Westerberg will not do any campaigning on L’s behalf, he says further.

    Aftonbladet has applied for Birgitta Ohlsson.

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    full screen L top Karin Karlsbro. Photo: Björn Lindahl

    The centre’s answer: “The twinkle in the eye”

    According to the Center’s press manager Andrea Herlitz, the ad only runs in the magazine Liberal debate.

    She further says that it is a small campaign and asks to come back when Aftonbladet informs her of Bengt Westerberg’s intentions to vote for L, not C, in the EU parliamentary elections.

    The center’s campaign manager Gustaf Arnander writes in a comment to Aftonbladet that there are two liberal parties and that “it is good if as many Bengts and Birgits as possible cast their votes for one of them.”

    “The ad is made with a twinkle in its eye to attract some attention, and it obviously does,” continues the campaign manager.

    According to Bengt Westerberg, the Center has apologized for the ad.

    – It is a mistake on their part, he says.

    Last week, the Center came out with the demand that the Liberals should be excluded from the parties’ joint group in the EU Parliament, Renew Europe, as long as L continued the collaboration with SD in Sweden.

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    full screen Birgitta Ohlsson. Photo: Erik Simander/TT / TT News Agency

    FACT This is Valkompisen

    Valkompisen is an AI chatbot created by Aftonbladet for the EU elections 2024. With Valkompisen you can chat and ask questions about the EU and the EU elections. The answers are taken from a database created by Aftonbladet’s journalists and developers.

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