Liberal party secretary compares election struggle to fantasy hero Legolas

The Liberal Party (L) is facing an uphill battle to secure parliamentary representation, with its support now at just 2 percent, according to a new SVT/Verian opinion poll. Party secretary Fredrik Brange, tasked with leading the election campaign, compared his role to that of the elf warrior Legolas from The Lord of the Rings in an interview with SVT’s Politik, politik, politik!

“It’s the question I ask myself every morning—whether this is harder than quantum physics,” Brange said of the challenge to save the party, which must at least double its current support to clear Sweden’s 4 percent parliamentary threshold.

Despite the dire polling, Brange expressed cautious optimism, citing late-deciding voters as a potential lifeline. “Of course, you’d rather have 20 percent than 2 percent,” he admitted. “But we know many people make up their minds on election day itself, so I believe we still have every chance to grow.”

During the program, Brange also explained his self-comparison to Legolas, the elven archer who stands loyally by the protagonist’s side—a metaphor for his own role in the party’s fight for survival.

The full episode of Politik, politik, politik!, where SVT’s political reporters Daniel Ingmo and Erik Nilsson analyze current political developments, is available on SVT Play.