Sweden Democrats leader accuses Green Party of ‘buying’ votes from dissident MPs

Swedish public broadcaster SVT reports that tensions flared during Sunday’s party leader debate when Jimmie Åkesson of the Sweden Democrats (SD) accused the Green Party of negotiating with two former SD MPs who voted against their old party in a key parliamentary vote.

Åkesson claimed the Green Party had “bought” the votes of the so-called vildar (independent MPs), an allegation both the Greens and the MPs in question deny.

“This is completely false,” said Katja Nyberg, one of the two former SD MPs, in an interview with SVT. Nyberg, who left the party earlier this year, stated she had voted “entirely independently” in the recent parliamentary decision on the kvittningssystemet—a long-standing cross-party agreement ensuring absent MPs do not disrupt voting balances.

Elsa Widding, the other former SD MP, echoed Nyberg’s stance, questioning the future of the agreement: “Now everything is probably falling apart. Who can trust the kvittningssystemet?”

During the debate, Åkesson directly challenged Green Party leader Amanda Lind, demanding details of the alleged negotiations. Lind dismissed the claim as “false accusations,” insisting no discussions had taken place with the independent MPs.

How the kvittningssystemet works

The system is not enshrined in law but relies on a decades-old agreement among parliamentary parties. When an MP cannot attend a vote, their absence is “offset” by an MP from the opposing bloc also abstaining, preserving the political balance.

Though the practice dates back to at least the early 1900s, the Sweden Democrats were only admitted to the system in 2021—eleven years after entering parliament.