Former minister says Left Party could gain more outside government

Former Social Democratic minister Anders Sundström believes the Left Party could achieve more as a support party than as part of a government, while former Left Party secretary Aron Etzler argues that governing remains the route to real power, SVT reports.

Sundström said he had no objection to the Left Party joining a government, but described the influence of ministers as overstated. The job involves administrative work, meetings and travel, he said on SVT’s Politics Bureau.

He served as employment minister and later industry minister from 1994 to 1998. During that period, the Social Democrats worked with the Left Party and the Centre Party. Sundström said the partner parties sometimes bypassed him and went directly to the prime minister to pursue their policies.

“Ninety per cent of the time is spent administering Sweden,” Sundström said, adding that he had often thought he could have done more from the Prime Minister’s Office, where he could comment on a wider range of issues. He also compared the influence a support party could have with the Sweden Democrats’ influence during the previous parliamentary term.

Etzler rejected the argument, saying that the government makes 10,000 decisions a year and that ultimate power lies with those who control it. The discussion comes as the Left Party maintains its demand for ministerial posts despite difficulties in forming a government.