Leijonborg rejects Åkessons deadline for Liberals

Former Liberal Party leader Lars Leijonborg has rejected Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkessons call for voters to abandon the Liberals if the party remains below a set polling threshold, SVT reports. Leijonborg said voters should follow their convictions and that the outcome would be decided on election day.

Åkesson said during an SVT party leader interview that Liberal supporters should not cast tactical votes for the party if it is polling below 3.5 per cent ten days before the election. The parliamentary threshold is 4 per cent, while the Liberals received 1.9 per cent in SVT and Verian’s latest poll.

Christian Democrats economic policy spokesperson Hans Eklind supports the deadline. He said voters who want a continued Tidö government should consider the Liberals’ figures, adding that the Christian Democrats were a better choice than wasting a vote on a party that might not enter parliament.

Leijonborg, who is running as a parliamentary candidate, said the Liberals did not need Åkesson’s views on the matter.

“I do not care about that,” he said. “Why introduce a new election day?”

Leijonborg said he did not believe there would be a continued Tidö government without the Liberals. He also said Liberal voters had made up their minds close to election day in the previous parliamentary election.

“I believe in a ketchup effect,” he said, referring to how a long delay can be followed by a sudden release.

Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson of the Moderate Party also said she had not given up hope for the Liberals. “That is for Jimmie Åkesson to stand for,” she said, adding that the Liberals served an important function.