Åkesson accuses Andersson of spending campaign attacking him

Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson accused Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson of focusing her election campaign on attacking him and his party during a debate broadcast by Swedish public broadcaster SVT on Tuesday.

Five days before the election, Andersson criticised the Sweden Democrats after it emerged that one of the party’s parliamentary staff members had circulated pro-Russian messages.

Sweden faces a decisive choice, Andersson said, arguing that her party wanted to accelerate the economy and address problems in schools and healthcare. She accused the governing Tidö parties of failure and said the coalition was dominated by an extreme party in which attempts at infiltration by people friendly to Russian President Vladimir Putin had once again been exposed.

Andersson questioned whether the Sweden Democrats were suitable for government after an investigation by the magazine Expo revealed that an employee in the party’s parliamentary office had, among other things, spread pro-Russian messages.

Åkesson rejected the criticism, saying authorities would have acted if the Sweden Democrats were genuinely filled with people sympathetic to Russia.

There is no room whatsoever for people friendly to Putin or Russia in the Sweden Democrats, Åkesson said, adding that he had been very clear on the issue.

Åkesson also defended the Tidö parties’ record, saying they had spent four years cleaning up after the Social Democrats by restoring public safety and introducing a responsible immigration policy and an integration policy based on requirements.

If that work is to continue, the Sweden Democrats must remain at the helm, he said. Åkesson accused the Social Democrats of having had many terms in office to improve Sweden, but said they had mainly damaged the country in recent decades.

He also attacked Andersson’s election strategy, saying she had spent the entire current parliamentary term, and especially the election campaign, hating him and his party.

You should talk about your own policies instead, Åkesson said.