Sweden's 'Contractual Parliamentarism' Criticized as Less Legitimate Path to Power

Sweden's political landscape is increasingly characterized by "contractual parliamentarism," a system where parties forge pre-election agreements and contracts to secure governing power. This trend, highlighted by the Tidö Agreement between a minority government and the Sweden Democrats, allows political elites to pre-determine policy directions, bypassing parliamentary debate and opposition.

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The so-called contract parliamentarism has so far reached a high point with the Tidö Agreement between a bourgeois minority government led by the Moderates and the support party Sweden Democrats.

Marie Demker, the author of this essay, argues that while these contracts can facilitate agreement, they represent a less legitimate route to power. The core conflict, she contends, lies between the interest of party elites in securing future policy outcomes and the democratic legitimacy derived from a diverse and sometimes contentious parliamentary representation.

Demker suggests that in their eagerness to avoid snap elections, parties are taking a shortcut that undermines democratic principles. She contrasts this approach with the practices of Nordic neighbors, implying they may offer more robust models for democratic governance.

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The conflict, I believe, lies between the interest of party elites to mortgage the future and the democratic legitimacy found in the diverse – and sometimes unruly – representation.

The essay posits that the pursuit of stability through such agreements risks marginalizing the broader democratic process. The author's perspective is that the intricate, often contentious, nature of genuine parliamentary representation holds a greater claim to legitimacy than the pre-negotiated outcomes of party contracts.

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And in the eagerness to avoid extra elections, the parties take a, less legitimate, shortcut to power.