Green Party leader sees herself as Volvo’s best friend

The Green Party’s campaign in Gothenburg has an unusual symbol: small signs placed in windows so passersby can see which party residents support. Volunteers carrying the signs are knocking on doors ahead of Sweden’s 2026 election.

Klara Holmin, the party’s new leading candidate in the city, is part of the campaign and plans to join a climate march in Gothenburg on Sunday, where Greta Thunberg is listed as a speaker. Holmin also says yes when asked whether she is Volvo’s best friend in Sweden’s car capital.

The party says its support and membership are rising. An SVT poll put it at 8.0 percent nationally, three percentage points above its previous election result. A GP/Novus poll gave the party 10.1 percent in Gothenburg municipality, compared with just under 6 percent in 2022.

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It is a little difficult to understand where everyone is coming from.

The Gothenburg branch says it has passed 1,600 members, an all-time high. Nationally, the party says it is close to matching its 2014 record, when it won 15.4 percent in the European Parliament election. Holmin says the party remains small and has little money, with most campaign work carried out by volunteers.

One local campaign proposal would create a night mayor to help restaurateurs and event organizers navigate municipal permits. Holmin says such ideas could help make Gothenburg distinctive. She also describes a new organizing method that lets volunteers campaign among their own neighbors rather than traveling into the city. “People should be able to campaign very locally, where they live,” she says.

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People should be able to campaign very locally, where they live.