The Local Sweden

Green Party: No agreement with Reinfeldt

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:43:00 +0200

The Green Party confirmed in a press conference on Monday that no agreement has been reached over a coalition with a Fredrik Reinfeldt-led government, revealing that Alliance coalition leaders appeared "split" on the issue.

Swedes vote for Harry Potter, James Bond and Your Mum

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:34:00 +0200

As the Alliance government stands to miss out on an overall majority by a whisker, handwritten ballots for parties such as Joy Division, Pull Yourself Together and Djingis Cat have had an unlikely impact on Swedish politics.

Sweden wakes up to a new reality

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:21:00 +0200

When the people of Sweden woke up on Monday morning, they faced a radically changed political landscape. To the Social Democrats, the party that defined modern Sweden, voters had handed the worst election result for nearly a century. For Fredrik Reinfeldt's centre-right Moderates these were the best results since full democracy was introduced. Yet this country that prides itself on tolerance and equality had also let in an anti-immigrant populist party, which now holds the balance of power in Sweden's parliament.

Reinfeldt misses out on overall majority

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:28:00 +0200

The centre-right Alliance gained one extra seat in the Riksdag after Wednesday's count of advance and overseas ballots bringing it up to 173 seats, still two short of an overall majority.

Alliance takes one step towards majority

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:05:00 +0200

Sweden's governing Alliance coalition has preliminarily increased its number of seats in the Riksdag to 173, two short of an overall majority, as the recount of advance and overseas ballots continued on Wednesday afternoon.

Stockholm takes a stand for racial tolerance

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 06:53:00 +0200

A crowd of around 10,000 people gathered in central Stockholm on Monday evening to demonstrate against racism after the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats were voted into Sweden's parliament.

Economy trumps welfare worries in tight Swedish election

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:27:00 +0200

With the final results hinging on a few thousand advance ballots, the 2010 elections marked a major shift in Swedish politics, while at the same time showing the power of a strong economy, writes contributor Roger Choate.

Alliance majority 'still possible' as results lag

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:01:00 +0200

The final count of the results in the Swedish election may not be completed until Thursday morning, the Swedish Election Authority (Valmyndigheten) has said, while experts claim that that the Alliance coalition could still claim an overall majority.

The Local's guide to the 2010 Swedish elections

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:33:00 +0200

Welcome to The Local's Guide to the 2010 Swedish Elections.

Election Q&A: the Liberal Party

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:04:00 +0200

Liberal Party senior political advisor Therese Wallqvister and Riksdag secretariat foreign and defence policy political secretary Cindy Sturesson answer some questions from The Local about the party's stance on a few key issues.

Election outcomes – the lowdown

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:12:00 +0200

With four days to go before Swedes go to the polls in what promises to be an historic election for one of Europe's oldest democracies, The Local's Peter Vinthagen Simpson has had a look at the possible outcomes.

How to vote in the Swedish elections

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:58:00 +0200

Voting may not seem that complicated, but doing so in a different country can be. The Local has thus endeavoured to help any first-time voters by covering some of the basics about how to vote in Sweden.

Election Q&A: the Left Party

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:37:00 +0200

Left Party international secretary Stefan Kudryk answers some questions from The Local about the party's stance on a few key issues.

Cheryl Jones Fur - An American voice in Swedish politics

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:15:00 +0200

Parliamentary candidate, Cheryl Jones Fur, talks to Peter Vinthagen Simpson about her climate commitment; why as an American she likes the diversity of Swedish politics; and how to tackle the integration debate head on.

Election Q&A: the Green Party

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:07:00 +0200

Green Party MP Bodil Ceballos answers some questions from The Local about the party's stance on a few key issues.

Election Q&A: the Moderate Party

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:47:00 +0200

The Moderate Party's Anders Borg, finance minister; Tobias Billström, immigration minister; and Riksdag foreign affairs committee head Göran Lennmarker answer some questions from The Local about the party's stance on a few key issues.

Introducing the Pirate Party

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:09:00 +0200

The Pirate Party competed in the 2006 general election, polling 0.63 percent of the votes but became the the third largest party in terms of membership by May 2009.

Introducing the Feminist Initiative

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:58:00 +0200

The Feminist Initiative (Feministiskt Initiative - Fi) polled 0.68 percent of the national vote in the 2006 parliamentary elections. Former Left Party leader Gudrun Schyman is the official spokesperson.

Introducing the Sweden Democrats

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:45:00 +0200

The Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna - SD) polled 2.6 percent of the votes in the 2006 parliamentary elections. Jimmie Åkesson is the party leader.

Introducing the Christian Democrats

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 23:32:00 +0200

The Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterrna - KD) are one of the three smaller parties which make up the centre-right Alliance coalition that has been in government since 2006, having polled 6.6 percent in the 2006 general election.