Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has issued a warning to Europe ahead of Sweden's first elections since joining NATO.
Swedes are called to the polls on Sunday for the first parliamentary elections since the country joined NATO, in an extremely tight race. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warns that a victory for the left could jeopardize Sweden's ability to fulfill its commitments within the Alliance.
Sweden was almost entirely united in its support for Ukraine and its decision to join NATO two years ago, after decades of neutrality. However, in an interview with POLITICO in Stockholm, the leader of the center-right Moderate Party argued that Europe should be aware of the security risks that a victory for the rival left-wing bloc could entail, a possibility indicated by polls.
When asked what was at stake for Europe in Sunday's vote, Kristersson replied: "Security policy. If the left wins, two of the three or two of the four parties voted against Sweden's accession to NATO. That is a very, very real issue."
"This means a government that will not be able to make the internal decisions necessary to fulfill our obligations to NATO, for example, regarding spending or all missions," he continued.
Sweden became NATO's newest member in 2024, after public opinion shifted in favor of abandoning neutrality in the context of Vladimir Putin's territorial aggression in Europe. The decision was "an important thing" for the country of 10.6 million people, which remained neutral during both world wars and throughout the Cold War, Kristersson said.
"But, after becoming members, we have made a decision related to NATO every month," the prime minister added. "And if the government is not united, it simply cannot make decisions."
Since joining the Alliance, Sweden has sent hundreds of soldiers to join a NATO force in Latvia, provided warships for Baltic Sea patrols, and deployed Gripen fighter jets for air policing missions in the region.
Asked if support for Ukraine could also be called into question, Kristersson replied: "I sincerely hope not, because we have been united on Ukraine, with one exception. The Left Party voted against the first support package for Ukraine. Since then, all eight parties have been united."
Kristersson's statements come after a strong intervention by the Social Democratic opposition leader, Magdalena Andersson, who, in an interview with POLITICO published this week, asked the prime minister to clarify the ties of his allies with Russia.
Until recently, Sunday's vote seemed to be heading for a comfortable victory for the Social Democrats led by Andersson and their allies in the smaller left-wing parties. But their advance in the polls has dramatically reduced in the last two weeks, to only 2.6%, within the statistical margin of error.
Friends from the far-right
The center-right coalition led by Kristersson has governed for the past four years with the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats party. The prime minister defended his decision to cooperate with the party, which opponents consider too extremist, despite the party's internal efforts to distance itself from its old neo-Nazi ties.
"I fully respect that there are eight parties in the Swedish Parliament," Kristersson said. "None of these parties are anywhere near having a majority on their own. If you cannot bring parties together around concrete issues and goals, you simply won't be able to do anything."
Under the leadership of Jimmie Åkesson, the Sweden Democrats are in second place in the polls, after Andersson's Social Democrats. Åkesson has stated that he is pursuing the possibility of becoming prime minister in the next elections, scheduled for 2030.
If Kristersson returns to the prime minister's office after Sunday's elections, he has stated that he is prepared to offer Sweden Democrats politicians ministerial posts in his government for the first time. It would be a major change for Sweden, and the left-wing bloc has campaigned against this possibility.
Kristersson suggested that being part of a government team would limit a minister's ability to act on their own and promote extremist policies.
"In Sweden, we have a collective decision-making process in government," he said. "I would never say that a minister is not important, but every minister is part of a team that makes all decisions together, so there is very little room for anyone to play by their own rules."
"And since I will be the one forming that government and the one appointing each of them, I can guarantee you that my government will only include very competent and experienced people with sound judgment," the prime minister added.
