Liberal_party

The following articles have been tagged with "Liberal_party":

'Only good foreign soldier on Afghan soil is a dead one': Myrdal

Politics: 9 Feb 10
Swedish author and anti-war activist Jan Myrdal has sparked outrage following a public lecture in which he appeared to welcome the killing of Swedish, US and other soldiers. READ »

Profile: Sweden's new EU minister Birgitta Ohlsson

Analysis & Opinion: 2 Feb 10
Birgitta Ohlsson was named as Sweden's new EU minister on Tuesday. An outspoken advocate of feminism, equality and civil liberties issues, as well as a keen supporter of Nato membership, Ohlsson also harbours dreams of a top UN human rights post. READ »

Ohlsson defies critics to claim EU minister post

Politics: 2 Feb 10
Birgitta Ohlsson has been named as Liberal Party colleague Cecilia Malmström's successor as Sweden's EU minister despite the initial reservations of party leader Jan Björklund. READ »

Government closes voter gap: poll

Politics: 29 Jan 10
Sweden's ruling centre-right alliance has increased its pulling power among voters to take a 45.7 percent share according to a new poll. But the left-green opposition still maintains its lead with 48.6 percent. READ »

Opposition extends poll lead to achieve majority

Politics: 13 Dec 09
Sweden’s three centre-left opposition political parties have enough voter support to form their own majority, according to a new poll, which also shows the far-right Sweden Democrats with enough support to gain a spot in the Riksdag. READ »

Sweden Democrats score five percent in major poll

Politics: 10 Dec 09
The far-right Sweden Democrat party enjoys the support of 5.1 percent of the electorate, according to a major new survey from Statistics Sweden. READ »

EU parliament pushes for Dawit Isaak release

National: 27 Nov 09
The European Parliament has increased pressure on Eritrea to free Swedish journalist Dawit Isaak. The speaker has demanded Isaak's release along with the other journalists arrested in 2001. READ »

Sahlin open to centre- right cooperation

Politics: 27 Nov 09
Social Democrat party leader Mona Sahlin has responded to a new opinion poll showing an increased support for the far-right Sweden Democrats by voicing the possibility of governing with the Liberal and Centre parties. READ »

Politician causes stir with sex play outburst

Society: 26 Nov 09
A Green Party politician from southern Sweden is defending the use of sex organ slang during a local council debate about Swedishness. READ »

Voters continue to flee Social Democrats: poll

Politics: 24 Nov 09
Support for the Social Democrats continues to slide, having now dipped below 30 percent, according to a new poll. READ »

Liberals reject immigrant citizenship course

Politics: 22 Nov 09
The Liberal Party has voted against a proposal from the party leadership for the introduction of mandatory courses for all immigrants seeking Swedish citizenship. READ »

Liberals call for lower taxes at party congress

Politics: 20 Nov 09
Liberal party leader Jan Björklund has rallied members during a speech at the party conference in Växjö calling for lower taxes, developments in nuclear power production and for Sweden to adopt the euro as its currency. READ »

Early English learning comes under academic attack

Education: 20 Nov 09
A Liberal Party proposal to make English language learning obligatory in schools from the first grade has been slammed by members of the Swedish Academy who view it as an "unnecessary reinforcement of the status of English.” READ »

Malmström Sweden's new EU commissioner

Politics: 17 Nov 09
Cecilia Malmström, currently Sweden's EU affairs minister, has been nominated as the successor to the country's outgoing EU commissioner, Margot Wallström. READ »

Sweden Democrats at record high: poll

Politics: 15 Nov 09
The far-right Sweden Democrats have gained a record 5.8 percent of voter sympathies in a new poll published on Sunday; the party is now bigger than both the Christian Democrat and Centre parties. READ »

Politician caught in teen sex scandal to step down

National: 10 Nov 09
A high-ranking Stockholm-area politician has been fined for attempting to purchase sex from an underage girl involved in a high-profile teen sex ring. READ »

Malmö Moderates open to SD cooperation

Politics: 8 Nov 09
The Malmö branch of the Moderate party has not ruled out cooperating with the far-right Sweden Democrat party after next year's general election. READ »

Politicians accused of jumping flu jab queue

Politics: 7 Nov 09
Uppsala County Council has come under criticism after politicians and leading civil servants were offered the chance to have the swine flu vaccine, regardless of whether they belong to a high-risk group. READ »

Green Party makes ground among voters

Politics: 7 Nov 09
Green Party co-leader Maria Wetterstrand has surpassed Mona Sahlin as the main challenger to Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt for the affections of Swedish voters, according to a new poll READ »

Reinfeldt reclaims top spot in Sweden power rankings

National: 6 Nov 09
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt can once again lay claim to the title of Sweden’s most power person, having nudged his own finance minister Anders Borg from the top spot in a new ranking released on Thursday. READ »

Red-greens and centre- right in dead heat: poll

Politics: 4 Nov 09
Support for Sweden’s two main political blocs is about equal, according to a new poll, which also shows the far-right Sweden Democrats with enough support to gain a seat in the Riksdag. READ »

Swedish politician dies of swine flu

Science & Technology: 3 Nov 09
Liberal Party politician Jan-Erik Brohede has died of a swine flu-related illness at the age of 48. READ »

Reinfeldt and Olofsson back Green party talks

National: 23 Oct 09
The Moderates and Centre party have backed coalition partner the Liberal party in calls to work with the Green party instead of the Sweden Democrats if the far-right party held the balance of power in parliament. READ »

Liberals open to Green support to block far-right

Politics: 23 Oct 09
Liberal party leader Jan Björklund has opened up the possibility of cooperating with the Green party if the far-right Sweden Democrats garnered enough votes to hold the balance of power after the 2010 election. READ »

'Renationalize Sweden's schools': Liberals

Education: 20 Oct 09
The state ought to once again take over primary responsibility for Sweden’s schools, according to a proposal under consideration within the Liberal Party. READ »

Chinese should be taught in schools: education minister

Education: 17 Oct 09
A review of language learning in schools is required to meet the demands of the global market climate says Sweden’s education minister Jan Björklund who is advocating Chinese lessons for college students. READ »

Sweden passes divisive wiretapping law

Politics: 14 Oct 09
An amended version of Sweden's controversial new signals intelligence law was passed in the Riksdag on Wednesday, with 158 members voting in favour and 153 against, while one member abstained from voting. READ »

Politician calls for green diaper bonus

Politics: 7 Oct 09
Politicians have used their full powers of imagination in drafting more than 3,000 parliamentary motions this year that deal with everything from the need for a Minsiter of the Suburbs to a government inquiry into the lives of cats. READ »

Record company lawsuits a 'threat to free culture'

Analysis & Opinion: 24 Sep 09
Are lawsuits and threats the music industry's new money-spinning idea, now that record sales have fallen, asks Madeleine Sjöstedt, Stockholm's Vice Mayor for Culture and Sports and member of the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet). READ »

Opposition stays ahead in new poll

Politics: 19 Sep 09
Exactly one year before the general election, Sweden’s opposition parties stand marginally ahead of the governing centre-right Alliance, according to the latest poll. READ »

Swedish town mulls low pay for bad teachers

Education: 10 Sep 09
A municipality in southern Sweden has moved one step closer to implementing a proposal which would tie teachers’ pay to students’ performance on national standardized tests. READ »

Sweden mulls mandatory classes for refugees

Politics: 3 Sep 09
The government will shortly introduce reforms proposing that it be obligatory for all refugees arriving in the country to take part in a society orientation course to facilitate their establishment in Swedish society. READ »

No equality quotas for boards: Olofsson

Business & Money: 2 Sep 09
Industry minister Maud Olofsson has washed her government’s hands of the responsibility for ensuring equal representation of women and men on company boards. READ »

Opposition lead widens in poll

Politics: 28 Aug 09
Sweden's opposition parties have opened up a lead of almost 5 percentage points over the governing centre-right Alliance, according to a new poll published on Friday. READ »

Sweden Democrats gain in new voter poll

Politics: 23 Aug 09
Sweden’s centre-left opposition parties maintain a slight lead over the governing Alliance parties, while the far-right Sweden Democrats have enough support to gain a seat in the Riksdag, according to a new poll. READ »

Sweden Democrats at record high: poll

Politics: 13 Aug 09
The far-right Sweden Democrats have increased their support to a record 5.6 percent, according to a new voter poll published on Thursday. READ »

Smacking kids is never acceptable: Swedish politician

Analysis & Opinion: 12 Aug 09
Thirty years have passed since Sweden banned parents from smacking their children. But Liberal Party MP Helena Bargholtz is dismayed to learn that New Zealand is holding a referendum to reintroduce the practice. READ »

Swedish MP: I don't want to force abortion on Ireland

Society: 4 Aug 09
Swedish MP Birgitta Ohlsson has denied she wants to use the EU's Lisbon Treaty to impose liberal abortion laws on other countries. She just wants a debate, she says. READ »

Abortion register splits Alliance parties

Politics: 19 Jul 09
A proposal to include the identities of women in a national abortion register has divided the governing Alliance coalition parties. READ »

Pirates close in on Riksdag: poll

Politics: 19 Jul 09
The Pirate Party and the far-right Sweden Democrats are on course for seats in the Riksdag according to a new poll published on Sunday. READ »

Liberals call for low wage apprenticeships

Politics: 29 Jun 09
Liberal Party leader Jan Björklund has proposed a new apprenticeship system for young people as a way to counteract youth unemployment in Sweden. READ »

Moderates lose as Green Party gains: poll

Politics: 26 Jun 09
Support for the Moderate Party dropped significantly in June, while Sweden’s Green Party reached heights not seen since the 2006 Riksdag elections, a new poll shows. READ »

Pirate Party to sit with Greens in European Parliament

Politics: 25 Jun 09
Sweden’s Pirate Party has ended speculation about its political priorities by announcing that its newly elected member of the European Parliament plans to join the legislative body’s Greens/European Free Alliance parliamentary group. READ »

Kids registered illegally at Riksdag homes

Politics: 23 Jun 09
Although against regulations, members of the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) have allowed their children to register a few of the Parliament's apartments as their permanent address. READ »

Krantz named as higher education minister

Politics: 17 Jun 09
Liberal Party Riksdag member Tobias Krantz will take over as Sweden’s Minister for Higher Education and Research, the Swedish government announced on Wednesday. READ »

Far-right climbs over pirates in May poll

Politics: 17 Jun 09
Despite its recent success in the European Parliament elections, the Pirate Party would garner fewer votes than the far-right Sweden Democrats if a general election were held today, a new poll shows. READ »

Pirate Party heads for parliament: poll

Politics: 14 Jun 09
The Pirate Party remains buoyant after its EU election success and could be on its way to claiming seats in the Swedish parliament, a new poll shows. READ »

Increased voter turnout due to young men: poll

Politics: 13 Jun 09
A spike in the number of younger men who decided to cast their vote in recent EU Parliamentary elections is the likely reason for the Pirate Party's success, a new poll shows. READ »

Government minister Leijonborg resigns

Politics: 11 Jun 09
Minister for Higher Education and Research Lars Leijonborg has resigned from the cabinet. "I feel like doing something different," the minister said in a statement. READ »

Svensson and Corazza Bildt set to stage election upset

Politics: 8 Jun 09
Alf Svensson, the former leader of the Christian Democrats, and Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, the wife of the Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt, appear set to claim seats in the EU parliament at the expense of their party colleagues. READ »

Pirate Party claims EU booty: confirmed

Politics: 8 Jun 09
Sweden's Pirate Party, on a platform of integrity issues including the legalization of internet file sharing, sensationally claimed a seat in the EU parliament as election results were confirmed on Sunday. READ »

Swedish Pirate Party headed for Brussels

Politics: 7 Jun 09
Sweden's pro-file sharing Pirate Party is on its way to Brussels having secured more than 7 percent of the country's votes in the European Parliament elections, according to early exit polls. READ »

Social Democratic backslide as June List surges: poll

Politics: 6 Jun 09
The Social Democrats have lost significant ground ahead of Sunday's EU-parliamentary elections, while the June List party saw an unexpected surge in voter support, according to a new poll. READ »

Pirate Party poll gains continue

Politics: 5 Jun 09
The Pirate Party continues to gain ground in Swedish opinion polls ahead of Sunday’s EU-parliamentary elections. READ »

Fredrik Malm: Enlarge the European Union

Analysis & Opinion: 3 Jun 09
Fredrik Malm of the Liberal Party speaks to The Local's Lydia Parafianowicz about the case for EU enlargement and the role of the union in conflict resolution. READ »

Liberals launch EU pro-choice abortion initiative

Politics: 2 Jun 09
The Swedish Liberal party has launched a new initiative to give the women of Europe the right to choose to have an abortion and establish abortion as a human right. READ »

Ministers argue girls' right to sex ed

National: 31 May 09
Liberal party ministers Jan Björklund and Nyamko Sabuni have proposed a new schools law which removes the right to seek exemption from sexual education and swimming classes. READ »

Poll dip for main parties ahead of EU elections

National: 30 May 09
The Moderate party has dropped five percentage points to 22.6 percent, according to opinion polls on upcoming elections to the European Parliament conducted by Sifo since April. READ »

Marie Wickberg: a fresh face in politics

Analysis & Opinion: 25 May 09
Eager to make her mark in the upcoming election, Marie Wickberg of the Centre Party presents herself as a fresh-faced alternative to the "tired old men in the European Parliament". READ »

Swedes back move to euro: survey

Politics: 25 May 09
A majority of Swedes are in favour of adopting the euro as the country's currency, a new survey shows. READ »

Voter uncertainty ahead of EU elections

Politics: 23 May 09
One out of three Swedish voters is unsure how he or she will vote in the EU parliamentary elections in two weeks. The outcome is uncertain, according to a new opinion poll by Sifo and Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper. READ »

Most Swedes favour new vote on the euro

Business & Money: 19 May 09
A majority of Swedes, 51 percent, are in favour of holding another referendum on whether or not Sweden should exchange the krona for the common European currency. READ »

Opposition makes comeback in new poll

Politics: 17 May 09
The opposition has increased its lead over Sweden's Alliance government according to a new opinion poll by Sifo. READ »

Liberals: Sweden must join NATO

Politics: 13 May 09
The Swedish Liberal Party has demanded that Sweden become a full member of NATO and argues that an open debate over the issue is needed. READ »

'Isolationism is passé - Sweden needs to join NATO': Liberals

Analysis & Opinion: 12 May 09
With neutrality outdated and Sweden unable to effectively defend it's borders, the country needs to set aside its hang-ups and start thinking seriously about joining NATO, argues Birgitta Ohlsson, foreign policy spokesperson for the Liberal Party. READ »

Pirate Party Sweden's third-largest ahead of EU vote: study

Politics: 8 May 09
The Pirate Party will likely be the third largest vote-getter among Swedish political parties in upcoming European Parliamentary elections, according to a new forecast. READ »

'Curfews and police' can curb Rosengård fires

National: 7 May 09
A prominent Liberal Party Riksdag member on Wednesday called for targeted curfews and more police in Malmö’s Rosengård neighbourhood just hours before a communal refuse facility in the area burned to the ground. READ »

'File sharing law goes too far': Swedish EU election candidates

Science & Technology: 4 May 09
A clear majority of the Swedish candidates seeking election to the EU parliament are against the IPRED copyright law, arguing that EU countries have gone too far in the hunt for file-sharers. READ »

Brussels seat in sight for Pirate Party

Politics: 30 Apr 09
A new poll shows the Pirate Party may soon be representing Sweden in the European Parliament, as it rides a wave of popular support in the wake of the guilty verdict in The Pirate Bay trial. READ »

Swedes in favour of joining euro: poll

National: 19 Apr 09
Swedes in favour of joining the euro zone now outnumber those against, for the first time, a new survey indicates. READ »

Swedish MP to Pope: Ditch fundamentalism

Politics: 26 Mar 09
Prominent feminist politician Birgitta Ohlsson is demanding that the Swedish government launch a formal protest with the Vatican over the “religious fundamentalism” of Pope Benedict XVI. READ »

Liberal Party looking to reduce Migration Board's influence

Politics: 18 Mar 09
A working group within the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) wants to strip the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) of its power to appoint legal representatives to asylum seekers. READ »

Record high voter confidence for Reinfeldt: poll

Politics: 18 Mar 09
Confidence in Fredrik Reinfeldt has climbed by more than 10 percentage points in the last 12 months, with a record high 52 percent of voters supporting the Swedish prime minister. READ »

Alliance parties close on opposition: poll

Politics: 28 Feb 09
The huge lead long enjoyed by the tri-partite opposition in Swedish politics has been almost completely eroded as the Alliance parties continue to gain voter support, a new poll shows. READ »

Swedes abandon political parties in droves

Politics: 20 Feb 09
Sweden’s political parties continue to shed members, as parties on the right and the left together saw thousands drop from their membership rolls in 2008. READ »

Sweden's air force 'can't send secret messages'

Politics: 20 Feb 09
A prominent Riksdag member has expressed outrage upon learning that Sweden's new Jas Gripen fighter jets can’t receive encrypted communications. READ »

Most Swedes favour more nuclear power

Politics: 13 Feb 09
As energy policy talks between the government and opposition parties continue, a new poll shows that six of ten Swedes are in favour of building new nuclear power plants. READ »

Sweden in nuclear energy reversal

Politics: 5 Feb 09
The four parties of Sweden's centre-right governing Alliance on Thursday announced they had reached an agreement to reverse a decision to phase out the country's 10 nuclear reactors. READ »

Outrage over language ban proposal

Education: 2 Feb 09
Elementary students in Sweden with foreign backgrounds should no longer be allowed to study maths in their native languages, according to a Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) working group. READ »

'Prosecute Israel and Hamas for war crimes'

Politics: 28 Jan 09
A leading Social Democrat member of parliament has urged Sweden's government to take action to ensure that Israel and Hamas are both taken to task for alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict. READ »

Government closes in on opposition: poll

Politics: 25 Jan 09
Sweden's governing coalition is continuing its comeback in the opinion polls, with the Left and Green parties both losing ground, according to a new Sifo survey. READ »

Borg best in popularity stakes

Politics: 30 Dec 08
Swedish finance minister Anders Borg is ranked highly by his party colleagues with a 71 percent approval rating. Defence minister Sten Tolgfors meanwhile has the backing of only 3 percent of his peers. READ »

Lush scents incur allergy group wrath

Society: 30 Dec 08
The Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association has argued that the scents emanating from the Luleå branch of the international chain Lush are a health hazard and the store should be ordered to close its doors. READ »

Voters abandon Social Democrats in droves

Politics: 20 Dec 08
The Social Democrats lost 372,000 voters in the past year, as the gap between Sweden’s two main political blocs continues to shrink, according to a new poll. READ »

Is it time for Sweden to join the eurozone?

Analysis & Opinion: 18 Dec 08
With the Swedish currency foundering in a deepening economic crisis, Jonathan Ward wonders if Sweden should reconsider its decision to shun the euro. READ »

More voter support for Alliance parties in recent poll

Politics: 10 Dec 08
The distance between Sweden’s two main political blocs is shrinking, according to a new poll. READ »

'Bring back public smoking in Sweden': politician

Society: 5 Dec 08
A member of the Swedish parliament is calling for the country’s ban on smoking in restaurants and pubs to be overturned. READ »

Italian outcry over Swedish 'slander'

Society: 26 Nov 08
The Italian Ambassador to Sweden has slammed a petition raised this week by a Swedish member of parliament in support of high profile Italian author Roberto Saviano. READ »

Raunchy Ryanair calendar wings its way to Swedish feminists

Society: 14 Nov 08
Low-cost airline Ryanair has responded to 'anti-fun' opponents of its advertising by sending its raunchy 2009 cabin crew calendar to select Swedish politicians. READ »

Borg tops in Sweden power rankings

National: 14 Nov 08
Finance minister Anders Borg has surpassed prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt as Sweden’s most influential powerbroker, according to a new ranking. READ »

Lines drawn in battle over file sharing bill

Politics: 14 Nov 08
Debate in Sweden is growing ever hotter over a proposed law that will make it easier for law enforcement to track down those suspected of illegally downloading copyrighted material from the internet. READ »

Free trade fears cloud Sweden's embrace of Obama

Politics: 5 Nov 08
Amid the excitement in Sweden over Barack Obama’s victory, there remains real concern among members of the political and business establishment over how the US president-elect will approach the issue of free trade. READ »

Steep slide in support for Social Democrats

Politics: 31 Oct 08
Support for the Social Democrats fell dramatically during November, down 6.2 percent in the wake of the financial crisis and Mona Sahlin’s mixed message about the make-up of a governing coalition led by her party. READ »

US election watch: The case for McCain

Analysis & Opinion: 30 Oct 08
As Americans everywhere prepare to go to the polls, Swedish politician Mathias Sundin - who spent a month this summer working as a volunteer for John McCain - explains why he’s rooting for the Republican candidate. READ »