Strömmer says five parties must join right-wing government talks

Moderate Party Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer says five parties would need to be involved if efforts were made to form a centre-right government, but that key disagreements remain. He spoke to SVT as Sweden waits for the Speaker of Parliament to announce who will next be tasked with exploring government options.

It has been 35 days since the election. On Thursday, parliament rejected Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson as a candidate for prime minister. The Speaker is due to announce the next step on Monday. Andersson could be given another chance, while another possibility is that Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson receives the assignment.

“It is no secret that there are deadlocks between the Centre Party and the Sweden Democrats,” Strömmer said on the programme Agenda. He said the parties on the right share common ground on economic policy, but that disagreements over their red lines remain.

On Sunday, Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson sent an open letter to Centre Party leader Thand Ringqvist on X, inviting her to meet to discuss the parliamentary situation and the apparent deadlocks. She had not responded at the time of the report.

Strömmer said that how the parties communicate was up to them, adding that many citizens might feel there had not been enough meetings during the government formation process. He said the Centre Party’s decision to go into the election with Andersson as its candidate for prime minister had partly reflected the divide between the Centre Party and the Sweden Democrats.

The Moderates are speaking with representatives of other parties, Strömmer said, but he had not seen any dramatic shift in the underlying situation.

Source: SVT