Advertisement

Green Party: 'We didn't succeed'

Paul O'Mahony
Paul O'Mahony - [email protected]
Green Party: 'We didn't succeed'
Green Party co-leader Gustav Fridolin. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

While the Green Party did not become Sweden's third political force as it hoped, it is set to govern alongside new prime minister Stefan Löfven. The Local spoke with Gustav Fridolin, one of the party's two co-leaders.

Advertisement

It was a disappointing evening for the Green Party, which hoped for ten percent of voter support but received only 6.8 percent. 

"We didn’t get the figures that we’d hoped for," party co-leader Gustav Fridolin told The Local late Sunday night
 
"We didn’t succeed in getting the environmental issue at the top of the agenda but we have done very hard work and we are ready to form a new government."
 
It's all but certain the Greens will be invited to join the government for the first time in their 33-year history. 
 
TT
 
"Swedes have clearly voted for a new government and have voted to end the era of Fredrik Reinfeldt. This gives us a duty to do what we can to actually form a government that tackles climate change, that does what it can to change the situation in Swedish schools and for gender equality," he said.  
 
With the red-greens failing to secure an absolute majority, Sweden is now set to enter a period of coalition horse-trading. The Centre and Liberal parties can probably expect phone calls from Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven. 
 

 
"We [Greens and Social Democrats] are going to have talks to cooperate but we also need to talk to other parties of course, and I really hope that all anti-racist parties in Sweden are ready to lift their prestige to make it both possible both to form a government and to do the political reforms that we need in broad areas.
 
"We’ve been very clear both to the Left Party and to the Centre Party and the Liberal Party that such talks can be possible and this is of course even more true today."
 
But will the Alliance parties be receptive to advances from the left after their eight years running the country together?
 
Green Party co-leader Gustav Fridolin shares a kiss with his wife. Photo: TT
 
"All the votes aren’t counted yet [..], but we will make it clear that we are open to such talks to form a new government," Fridolin said shortly before the final results were revealed.
 
Like all of the other main parties, the Greens say they are appalled by the rise of the nationalist Sweden Democrats - now Sweden's third largest party, with about 13 percent of support. 
 
"It scares me. We’re in a situation in Europe where very many people are afraid of losing their jobs, afraid for their futures, afraid for their kids’ futures," Fridolin remarked.
 
"We know from history that those are times when political forces with a rhetoric that sets people against people can grow. This is the situation in Europe and it’s obviously the situation in Sweden today."

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also