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🇸🇪 Sweden /Elections & Politics

Social Democrat leader says a new direction for Sweden is within reach

From Svenska Dagbladet · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Context piece
  • Magdalena Andersson says the Social Democrats can win the Swedish election and form a government representing a new direction, although polls show a narrowing lead for the center-left bloc.
  • She rejects business concerns about a red-green government and says working-time changes should be negotiated by unions and employers rather than imposed by law.
  • The Social Democrats’ campaign promises include a workers’ pension, higher taxes on high earners and banks, and changes to school funding for independent schools.

Magdalena Andersson says a Social Democrat election victory and a new direction for Sweden are “within reach,” even as support for her party appears to be weakening. The Social Democrat leader also promises a workers’ pension during the next parliamentary term.

Andersson argues that businesses should be more concerned about a government dominated by the Sweden Democrats than about a red-green change of government. She criticized the Sweden Democrats for lacking policies on growth and jobs and for opposing new technology backed by investors including the Wallenberg family.

within reach

· Magdalena AnderssonShe used the phrase to describe the prospects of an election victory and a new direction for Sweden.

Her remarks followed comments by Jacob Wallenberg, chair of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and a leading figure in the country’s most powerful ownership family. He told the Financial Times that tax proposals and plans by one or more red-green parties to shorten working hours were “deeply concerning.” Andersson rejected that concern, saying her record as finance minister and prime minister showed that her economic policies had benefited Sweden and business.

deeply concerning

· Jacob WallenbergWallenberg used the phrase to describe red-green proposals on taxes and shorter working hours.

Andersson said she would not legislate a shorter working week, leaving the issue to negotiations between unions and employers. Other Social Democrat pledges include automatically indexing state grants to municipalities, abolishing the qualifying day in sickness insurance and reducing dental costs for young people and adults. The party says it would finance these measures through stronger growth and job creation, a bank tax, higher taxes on people earning more than 70,000 kronor a month and the removal of excess compensation for independent schools.

Opinion polls show the red-green side leading the governing Tidö bloc and the Sweden Democrats, but by a shrinking margin. Andersson has not said which parties she would include in a government after a victory. She says the Left Party still has “a long way to go” before joining a government, though cooperation on major issues would be possible. She has identified cooperation with the Sweden Democrats as her only stated red line and says forming a government could still be difficult after an election win.

They have a long way to go.

· Magdalena AnderssonAndersson described the Left Party’s distance from possible participation in a government.
About this summary

Originally published by Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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