For Sweden, the future is not female anymore - it's far-conservative

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Mar 2023 14:22

The Moderates party serves as a pillar of Swedish politics, and as the only one to have challenged the Social Democrats' control starting from the mid-20th century.

Supporters of the Sweden Democrats political party cheering during the election night rally in September 2022. (AFP)

An Ipsos survey on behalf of Swedish media shows that fewer voters in Sweden view themselves as liberals today as opposed to last year, when 31% identified as liberals, with the number dropping today to 26%.

The change is majorly seen among the ruling Moderates' voters, whereby the percentage of self-identifying liberals within one year has plunged from 46 to 35%. Simultaneously, the fraction of Moderate voters who identify as conservatives increased, indicating the return of the largest right-of-center party in the country, to its roots and origins.

Formerly known as the Right and the Conservatives, not only does the party go back over a century but it serves as a pillar of Swedish politics, and the only one to have challenged the Social Democrats' control starting from the mid-20th century.

Under Fredrik Reinfeldt's era, party members labeled themselves as liberal and progressive, and the then-prime minister called on his colleagues to "open their hearts" and support mass immigration - that's when Sweden resorted to an "open borders" road.

Playing the foreign card wrong

Current Moderate leader and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson spoke of "straightening out Sweden," by vowing to manage issues from crime to mass immigration with a conservative mindset.

Feminism has also seen a drop: In 2021, 30% of the Swedish voters called themselves feminists, and that figure today records 24%. At the end of 2022, the Moderates announced the abolition of the "feminist foreign policy" launched by the left wing less than a decade ago.

As a response to that, Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom saw the approach popularized by the Social Democrats as counterproductive for the country's international agenda.

Ever since the Quran-burning campaign that Sweden's conservative party has been promoting against Turkey's refusal to let Sweden join NATO, PM Kristersson acknowledged that the Quran-burning demonstration in Stockholm last month had damaged the country's reputation abroad and its relationship with Turkey.

He said that the recent events and activities in Sweden had "consequences for Sweden's image abroad," saying it had complicated the dialogue with Turkey.

According to Kristersson, the desecration of the Quraan damaged Sweden's business ties and national security interests. He asked Swedes to remain calm in order to facilitate Sweden's accession to NATO.