Liberal Party leadership faces backlash over shift on far-right cooperation

The Liberal Party’s (L) decision to abandon its long-standing refusal to govern with the Sweden Democrats (SD) has triggered sharp internal criticism, with senior members accusing leader Simona Mohamsson of undermining party democracy, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reports.

Malin Sjöberg Högrell, chair of the Liberal Women’s Association, called the process a “slap in the face” for party members, saying the leadership failed to consult the parliamentary group or the full party board before pushing through the policy shift. “You don’t get to have a say,” she told SVT’s Agenda programme. Sjöberg Högrell said she entered Friday’s board meeting unaware that a vote on SD cooperation was planned, describing the move as a breach of internal democratic norms.

The backlash follows the party’s November 2025 member vote rejecting SD collaboration—a position now reversed by the leadership ahead of a Sunday party conference where Mohamsson’s future as leader will be decided. The policy U-turn has effectively turned the leadership vote into a referendum on the SD shift.

Economic policy spokesperson Cecilia Rönn, another critic of Mohamsson, argued the decision should have been framed as a strategic choice rather than a personal leadership issue. “It’s unfortunate we’ve handled it this way,” Rönn said. Both women have been named as potential leadership challengers, though Sjöberg Högrell ruled out running, while Rönn declined to turn the dispute into a “personality contest.”

Mohamsson, facing the risk of a party split, told SVT she would not speculate on internal divisions. “People must decide for themselves which associations they want to belong to,” she said, acknowledging that members may need time to accept the decision.

The controversy comes as polls show a majority of Liberal voters oppose SD government participation. Analysts warn the infighting could derail the party’s 2026 election campaign, with Sjöberg Högrell cautioning that the leadership’s approach risks “implosion.”