– When we now get a government where we are not part of it, it is very important for us that we get a comprehensive agreement where we, as the largest party in this constellation, get a significant impact in political matters, says Sweden Democrats party leader Jimmie Åkesson. The Liberals become part of the government. It is something they have worked hard for. During the negotiations, the Sweden Democrats had as a starting point that they would not support a government in which the Liberals participated. It didn’t turn out that way. Now the Sweden Democrats (SD) will be supporters. The Liberals get ministerial cars. – We stand here and we agree on an agreement that is good for Sweden, said Ulf Kristersson when he opened the press conference on Friday morning. – There will be a three-party government consisting of the Moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals. That government will work closely with the Sweden Democrats in the Riksdag, says Pettersson. The parties will have seven collaborative projects on crime, immigration, energy and climate, health, education and economic policy. Prime Minister will be Ulf Kristersson from the Moderates. At 11 o’clock the new government will be presented to the speaker of the Riksdag KEEPING THEM IN BÅN: Outgoing Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson believes the immigration-critical SD will have control over the government’s policy. Photo: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AFP A lot of power The SD has already gained a number of positions in the national assembly, the Riksdag. They have ten chair and deputy chair positions in various committees. In that way, they can report to the government issues they believe are important. Outgoing Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson from the Social Democrats tells Dagens Nyheter that SD now wants to “keep the government in check”. Before the election, the cooperative climate on the right was described by them themselves as easy and promising for a new bourgeois government. It turned out that was not true. There has been a particularly fierce battle between the Liberals and SD. IT WAS THEN: Ulf Kristersson from the Moderates was delighted with the election results on 11 September. The next period was marked by very tough negotiations between the potential government partners. Photo: FREDRIK SANDBERG / AFP Weak government Although an agreement has now been concluded between the governing parties and SD, it is clear that the parliamentary basis for the government is weak. The three governing parties got a total of 103 seats in the Riksdag. The largest party, the Social Democrats 107. The SD alone has 73. Therefore, the government is completely dependent on them playing along. A LOT OF GROSS VIOLENCE: A police officer has been killed in Gothenburg. Some areas in the Swedish cities are so prone to crime that SD has wanted strict measures. Photo: Björn Larsson Rosvall/TT / NTB What SD wants The Sweden Democrats want major concessions in immigration and asylum policy. The party will probably not want the tax cuts the Swedish version of the Conservatives, the Moderates want. SD wants more money for elderly care and health. The four parties largely agreed on stricter crime policy. There is still some disagreement. One controversial point is the so-called visitation zones. In other words, parts of particularly crime-prone areas where citizens can be stopped and searched without a concrete suspicion. Another point is the deportation of those convicted of gang crime if they have dual citizenship.
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