Tomas Ramberg: Two weakened leaders stagger toward the finish

Neither Ulf Kristersson nor Magdalena Andersson can promise voters that their own political agenda will be carried out if they lead Sweden’s next government. In the final week before the election, both party leaders are competing for the prime minister’s post with support that has become increasingly uncertain.

That was the message from Sveriges Radio’s party leaders’ debate, writes Tomas Ramberg. Whoever wins, the negotiations after the election are likely to be hard.

On the right, the Moderates have long faced an authority problem within their bloc. The Sweden Democrats maintain a consistent lead, and Jimmie Åkesson speaks for the alliance as often as the prime minister does. Six in ten right-wing voters prefer another party, with most of them choosing the Sweden Democrats.

The Social Democrats face a different problem. Magdalena Andersson’s prolonged slide in opinion polls has reached a point where her election platform can be bargained away. The Left Party, Greens and Centre Party could make up 40% to 45% of her parliamentary base, according to the latest polls. That would give them influence over both government formation and policy.

Aid policy illustrates the difficulty. Kristersson has recently presented himself as the strongest opponent of aid spending, while the Moderates want cuts to fund a promise of more money for middle-class families. Yet the Christian Democrats, a coalition partner, still support higher aid. Andersson faces the reverse tension: the Social Democrats want to increase aid slowly, while likely partners want a more ambitious rise.

Migration creates another balancing act. The governing Tidö parties had planned to campaign on bringing immigration down to the lowest level in the European Union, but the debate has shifted toward what the article calls inhumane deportations. Both Kristersson and Andersson have been hurt by the controversy over deporting teenagers. Healthcare is similarly divisive, with the Tidö parties split over whether regions should continue running the system.