Regional leader snubs finance minister’s meeting after billion-krona dispute

Aida Hadzialic, a Social Democrat regional leader, will not attend the meeting Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson called after a dispute over billion-krona costs tied to Stockholm’s new metro construction.

The decision appears in Hadzialic’s response to the Finance Ministry. She and fellow regional councilor Jens Sjöström had been invited to explain the finances behind the project after Svenska Dagbladet reported new unfunded expenses.

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If the region does not want to explain how much money is involved, then it becomes my and the state’s headache.

Svantesson said the government needed the region to disclose the full amount involved. “If the region does not want to explain how much money is involved, then it becomes my and the state’s headache,” she told Svenska Dagbladet. She added that it was extremely important for the region to put all its cards on the table.

Political scientist Jenny Madestam described the refusal as a sign of tension. “It is obvious that there is irritation here,” she said.

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It is obvious that there is irritation here.