https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Sweden in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The far-right Sweden Democrats will wield significant influence in government if the four centre-right parties win the September 2026 election, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.se/20260401/sweden-democrats-to-be-in-charge-of-immigration-in-future-right-wing-government Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:12:47 +0200 sweden-democrats-to-be-in-charge-of-immigration-in-future-right-wing-government Embracing the Sweden Democrats was supposed to give the Liberals access to much needed support from their allies. The risk is that it pushes their poll ratings even further into the basement, argues The Local's James Savage. https://www.thelocal.se/20260318/politics-in-sweden-hugging-akesson-close-could-be-the-kiss-of-death-for-liberals Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:18:08 +0100 politics-in-sweden-hugging-akesson-close-could-be-the-kiss-of-death-for-liberals The US and Israel’s lightning attack on Iran has left Sweden with a dilemma. As Nato’s newest member with a large Iranian community – but also a traditional stickler for international law – Sweden has so far chosen to sit on the fence in the conflict. The question is how long that can be sustained, writes The Local's James Savage. https://www.thelocal.se/20260304/politics-in-sweden-sweden-needs-to-get-off-the-fence-on-iran-but-how Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:51:52 +0100 politics-in-sweden-sweden-needs-to-get-off-the-fence-on-iran-but-how One party looks likely to drop out of parliament at the next election and there are splits in both the governing and opposition blocs on key issues. But will the current blocs even exist in the same form after the election? https://www.thelocal.se/20260227/politics-in-sweden-will-there-still-be-a-left-wing-and-right-wing-block-come-september Fri, 27 Feb 2026 15:20:21 +0100 politics-in-sweden-will-there-still-be-a-left-wing-and-right-wing-block-come-september Swedes are not opposed to immigration, they’re opposed to immigration that doesn’t benefit them. Throwing working people or their families out of the country is bad politics, argues James Savage. https://www.thelocal.se/20260211/swedes-are-far-more-pro-migration-than-you-think Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:13:19 +0100 swedes-are-far-more-pro-migration-than-you-think Can politicians simply refuse to follow Swedish law without facing any consequences? That’s the question being asked by the Migration Agency’s former chief after politicians in a southern town were cleared of wrongdoing despite refusing to house a family of refugees. https://www.thelocal.se/20260203/politics-in-sweden-are-swedish-politicians-free-to-break-the-law-now Tue, 03 Feb 2026 15:42:52 +0100 politics-in-sweden-are-swedish-politicians-free-to-break-the-law-now The old order is gone, we're in the middle of a rupture, and world leaders are concluding they can't tip-toe around Trump any longer. This has opened the door for one Swedish politician who has made Instagram-friendly plain-speaking an art. https://www.thelocal.se/20260130/global-crisis-step-forward-swedens-straight-shooting-influencer-in-chief Fri, 30 Jan 2026 10:29:18 +0100 global-crisis-step-forward-swedens-straight-shooting-influencer-in-chief SD Member of Parliament Katja Nyberg, a former police officer who has been the party spokesperson for police issues, was stopped for suspected drunk driving over the holidays. Blood tests have now come back positive for both alcohol and narcotics. https://www.thelocal.se/20260129/what-do-we-know-about-the-sweden-democrat-mp-under-investigation-for-drink-driving Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:16:29 +0100 what-do-we-know-about-the-sweden-democrat-mp-under-investigation-for-drink-driving Sweden’s left-wing parties would govern with a large majority if only women were allowed to vote. But if men had their way, the right would dominate completely. Why do women and men in Sweden view politics so differently and has the gap always been so wide? https://www.thelocal.se/20260120/why-do-men-in-sweden-vote-for-the-right-and-women-for-the-left Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:38:58 +0100 why-do-men-in-sweden-vote-for-the-right-and-women-for-the-left Sweden views US claims to Greenland as ‘very problematic’, but Nato’s newest member still sees the United States as a vital partner for European defence and security, Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz tells The Local. https://www.thelocal.se/20260116/interview-sweden-stands-fully-behind-denmark-and-greenland Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:37:23 +0100 interview-sweden-stands-fully-behind-denmark-and-greenland Swedes, once some of the EU's most sceptical citizens, are now some of the project's greatest enthusiasts. James Savage asks: what happened? https://www.thelocal.se/20251223/swedens-sudden-love-affair-with-europe-and-why-it-matters Tue, 23 Dec 2025 10:50:21 +0100 swedens-sudden-love-affair-with-europe-and-why-it-matters Everything in Swedish politics next year will point towards the election on September 13th. We spoke to three Swedish university professors to get their predictions on how it will play out. https://www.thelocal.se/20251218/what-will-happen-in-swedish-politics-in-election-year-2026 Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:31:05 +0100 what-will-happen-in-swedish-politics-in-election-year-2026 Sweden's public broadcasters are under attack from the right. James Savage asks whether attacks on Sweden's public broadcasters could prove counter-productive. https://www.thelocal.se/20251205/why-does-the-swedish-right-love-to-bash-svt Fri, 05 Dec 2025 10:37:05 +0100 why-does-the-swedish-right-love-to-bash-svt For this week’s Politics in Sweden, Paul O’Mahony looks back at a handful of scandals in modern Swedish history that continue to reverberate today. https://www.thelocal.se/20251118/three-political-scandals-that-shook-modern-sweden Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:53:55 +0100 three-political-scandals-that-shook-modern-sweden Sweden's three smallest parties are given attention completely out of proportion to their microscopic polling numbers. But they hold the cards, and this week Ebba Busch showed she was willing to play them, says James Savage. https://www.thelocal.se/20251114/the-strange-power-of-the-four-percent-minnows Fri, 14 Nov 2025 19:23:00 +0100 the-strange-power-of-the-four-percent-minnows Dozens of Swedish municipalities have rejected the government’s overtures on encouraging the voluntary repatriation of refugees. After years of political negativity, it’s refreshing to hear politicians speak up for immigrants, writes The Local’s Paul O’Mahony. https://www.thelocal.se/20251104/politics-in-sweden-pro-immigration-voices-make-welcome-return Tue, 04 Nov 2025 16:55:53 +0100 politics-in-sweden-pro-immigration-voices-make-welcome-return Sweden’s a supposedly liberal country, yet its debate is hamstrung by taboos on subjects from drugs to housing. We have eight parliamentary parties — they should use this to give voters a proper debate, and a choice, says James Savage. https://www.thelocal.se/20251030/sweden-needs-politicians-who-stand-up-for-sin Thu, 30 Oct 2025 17:42:27 +0100 sweden-needs-politicians-who-stand-up-for-sin Sweden's Social Democrat opposition party has proposed banning under-15s from social media apps in part of a broader package of internet reforms that included stronger protection against deep fakes, and a new national cyber police force. https://www.thelocal.se/20251023/social-democrats-propose-15-year-age-limit-for-social-media-and-id-checks Thu, 23 Oct 2025 18:26:06 +0200 social-democrats-propose-15-year-age-limit-for-social-media-and-id-checks Interrupting a political debate isn’t good manners, but it is good TV — and good for democracy. Sweden needs more rowdy debates, not fewer, argues James Savage. https://www.thelocal.se/20251015/sweden-needs-more-of-the-nooshi-and-ebba-show Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:26:38 +0200 sweden-needs-more-of-the-nooshi-and-ebba-show Right-wing influencers are increasingly dominating Swedish social media. Is this a sign that US-owned platforms are favoring politicians in the Trump mould, or does the right just have the better tunes at the moment, asks James Savage. https://www.thelocal.se/20251010/why-is-the-right-thrashing-the-left-in-swedish-social-media Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:37:23 +0200 why-is-the-right-thrashing-the-left-in-swedish-social-media