Center Party leader keeps red line against Sweden Democrats

Center Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist said her meeting with Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson had not changed her party’s refusal to cooperate with a government that includes the Sweden Democrats, SVT reported.

Thand Ringqvist has now held one-to-one meetings with all party leaders as part of an assignment to explore the prospects of forming a centrist government. She described the conversation with Åkesson as “honest and good” and said the parties were close on some issues, including the development of rural Sweden.

“Our basic position on the government issue remains unchanged. We cannot sit in a government or cooperate with a government in which the Sweden Democrats are included,” she said. She declined to identify the main reason for the party’s refusal, saying it was based on a long list of issues outlined during the election campaign.

On Friday, Thand Ringqvist also met Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar. She called it a good meeting but said the parties were far apart politically and ideologically.

Thand Ringqvist is due to report to the Speaker on Monday about her exploratory assignment, but said she had not yet decided what to tell him. She said there was interest in centrist politics and was not ready to rule out forming a centrist government, despite other party leaders opposing the idea. She said Magdalena Andersson remained the most likely prime minister from the Center Party’s perspective, but added that the outcome was not yet known.