Greens urge budget talks, Left Party says no

Sweden’s Green Party wants the red-green parties to begin negotiating a joint budget, but the Left Party says talks should wait until they agree on who would be part of a government, SVT reports.

Green Party economic policy spokesperson Janine Alm Ericson said the parties should have started discussing economic policy long ago. She said the Greens were ready to negotiate a joint budget in any format.

Alm Ericson also criticised the prospect of economic policy being decided through separate initiatives in the Riksdag’s finance committee, calling it “an unfortunate way to govern Sweden”.

Left Party deputy leader Ida Gabrielsson said the parties first needed to settle the government question. The Left Party wants ministerial posts, while the Centre Party opposes a government with Left Party ministers. Gabrielsson said she had never seen an agreement made without first knowing the roles and who would be involved.

The current government is expected to present a restrictive caretaker budget without a new political direction. Gabrielsson said the red-green parties should support it and then present an amended budget just after the new year. She said the four parties should agree on the caretaker budget if a new government could not be formed quickly.

Centre Party economic policy spokesperson Martin Ådahl did not say how he viewed a joint red-green budget proposal. Social Democrat Mikael Damberg said the parties should move into deeper negotiations on policy, but that responsibility currently rested with the Speaker of the Riksdag.

Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson is expected to lose a vote to become prime minister on Thursday. The deadline for a government to present next year’s state budget is 12 November, though parties can submit joint budget proposals after that date.