image: colorado.com
Nyamko Sibuni, leader of the Liberal party, announced yesterday that the Liberal party will be actively seeking and supporting a right-leaning government next election. This means that the Social Democrats cannot expect a repeat of the January Agreement next time around.
The January Agreement was an agreement in which the Liberal and Center parties promised their support for a Social Democratic (and Environmental party) government in return for a liberal-leaning 73-point list of legislative demands. The liberal party managed to get through one of their main goals – good riddance to the “temporary” wealth tax first enacted in 1995 – but it has otherwise been slowly circling the drain and has now the support of only 2.7% of respondents. Sabuni’s move is in hopes of pushing that number upwards by regaining the support of right-leaning voters that were off-put by the January agreement.
One of the reasons the Liberal party went along with the JA in the first place was that the result of the 2018 vote made relying on the quiet support from either the Left party or the Sweden Democrats party unavoidable. Relying on the support of the Left party was considered, by former Liberal party leader Jan Björklund at least, less abhorrent than relying on the support of SD. Sabuni is now saying that she and the Liberal party is willing to work with SD on certain issues in order to get a non-Social Democratic government next election.
It’s risky. There are many people who see SD’s ideological roots as too repugnant to make up for whatever program they might trumpet now. For these people, working with SD on even, say, where to put traffic lights, would be giving them too much influence.
Sabuni knows she’s not going to win these voters. And she likely knows she’s going to be painted with a very unflattering brush by Social Democrats, even though their hand will be somewhat stayed by the fact that Sabuni is herself a minority. The question is whether or not she will be able to win back the Liberal voters that left when they joined up with the Social Democrats.
That outcome is extremely uncertain. But at least it’s interesting. The Moderates and Christian Democrats will be pleased, not to mention of course, the Sweden Democrats. It also gives a shot in the arm to the opposition, without which democracy loses its luster. A peaceful change of government is a hallmark of functioning democracies. Sabuni has said she’s going to work towards that.