On Wednesday evening, all the votes were finally counted and the election results were clear: Ulf Kristersson’s government base with the Moderates, the Christian Democrats, the Liberals together with the Sweden Democrats won the election with 176 seats against Magdalena Andersson’s government base with the Social Democrats, the Left Party, the Green Party and the Center Party, which received 173 seats.
Kristersson: “New, effective government”
On his Instagram account, the Moderate party leader Ulf Kristersson declares the party the winner of the election.
Ulf Kristersson will very likely become Sweden’s new prime minister. In one clip he says:
“Sweden has received an election result. The voters have had their say. The moderates and the other parties on my side have received the mandate for change that we asked for. I am now starting the work of forming a new, effective government. A government for all of Sweden and all citizens.”
Voted for change
The moderates’ party secretary Gunnar Strömmer met the journalist corps on Wednesday evening.
– When we get the election results tonight, it will be clear that the people have voted for change and a change of government, he says.
Strömmer notes that the Moderates went to the election to form a bourgeois government in cooperation with the Sweden Democrats, and that the parties started talks immediately after election day.
– That work will now be developed and intensified in order to bring about a new, stable and effective government, he says.
Reduce dependency on benefits
Gunnar Strömmer circles the major policy areas that the new government will focus on. He believes that this work consists of two parts.
– One is, of course, to take responsibility for a number of large and demanding tasks, such as bringing Sweden into NATO and leading the Swedish EU presidency during the next year, he says.
– And also, of course, take responsibility for the country’s economy and household finances in a demanding time.
He describes how the new government will simultaneously work with the change that he believes the Swedish people voted for.
– And to bring about the political reforms required to stop the shootings, end the energy crisis and break the exclusion that is characterized by too high unemployment and high dependence on benefits.