Kristersson defends minister’s right to speak freely

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has defended Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin after Bohlin published an unedited interview on YouTube ahead of SVT’s short documentary Drevet.

Speaking to SVT, Kristersson said he supported Bohlin’s decision and rejected criticism of the minister’s actions.

“I think he is an exceptionally good minister with high integrity, who sometimes also speaks out when he believes there are grounds to do so,” Kristersson said.

A few days earlier, at a press conference in the Swedish parliament, Kristersson described the criticism of Bohlin as “a bit like the princess and the pea”.

The comments were made in an SVT interview following the final debate ahead of the election.