Sweden’s new prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, was confirmed in a vote in Parliament on Monday 176-173, with MPs voting strictly along left-right party lines.
Kristersson leads a formal three-party coalition with his moderates and the Christian Democrats and Liberals.
But it is the far-right Sweden Democrats, the largest of the four parties in terms of MPs, who will be a not-so-silent partner: technically out of government, but in practice the reigns of power.
The new government has published its 62-page policy agenda, so what have we learned about the direction Sweden will take? Here’s our look at five key areas:
1. The Sweden Democrats hold many cards
The entire relationship between the three parties that make up the coalition government and their partners, the Sweden Democrats, is based on the agreement that they have all signed.
And it is clear that the far-right anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats have a lot of power. They may not hold cabinet ministerial posts, but as the largest party of the four, they are out of government in name only.
“The parties that are not in government have full and equal influence on the issues of the cooperation projects in the same way as the parties in government”, states in black and white the ‘Tidö Agreement’, which bears the name of the castle where the negotiations took place. .
The influence of the Sweden Democrats is even deeper: they will have a say in the drafting of all new laws, amendments to regulations and budget decisions. And they will be able to place their own political agents in government ministries to check the work of other parties who have ministries that manage the seven core policy areas the government wants to tackle in its first year.
There are also restrictions in the agreement on parties in government working with parties outside government, which all but ends any idea of cross-party cooperation on some of the biggest issues facing the country.
2. Sweden is getting tougher on immigrants
Sweden’s new 3+1 government is about to be much tougher on the Nordic nation’s immigrant population and people who want to come to Sweden in the future.
Asylum seekers can still show up and make a claim, but they will only be expected to stay temporarily, and even then, only if they are refugees from countries “around Sweden”. Regional authorities will also be able to launch their own campaigns to encourage migrants to return home voluntarily.
The new government wants to approve family reunification of asylum seekers only after two years of permanent residence, potentially meaning a long wait for families separated by conflict before they can be reunited.
Anyone who wants to stay longer in Sweden “must take responsibility to become part of Swedish society”, which means at least a requirement to learn the language before they can get the citizenship, but it does not say to what extent this integration. should it go or how will it be tested.
There is also a proposal to subject people from outside the EU to DNA testing, with their genetic profiles “stored in searchable records”.
3. Sweden’s international profile is changing
The headline here is that Sweden will reduce the number of refugees from its quota of 5,000 people a year to just 900.
There are also plans to reduce the country’s international aid budget from 1% of GDP to 0.85%.
And as the country tightens its borders, the incoming government wants to be able to send Swedish border police to EU airports to carry out passport and identity checks in places where there have historically been large numbers of migrant passengers or of asylum
If you’re traveling to Sweden from another country, even from the EU, the new right-wing coalition wants to reintroduce ID checks on buses, trains and ferries.
4. A crackdown on crime is coming
Sweden has seen an increase in gang-related violence in recent years, described in the agreement as “Sweden’s main social problem” and which the parties have linked to immigration and integration and committed to coping.
Unsurprisingly, they are getting tough on criminal activity with a number of proposals in the new government programme, including double sentences for gang members; tougher penalties for rape; make street begging a crime; promising more money for the police and giving them stop and search powers in parts of the country designated as high crime areas.
“The aim is to increase safety, prevent more young people from becoming involved in crime, investigate more crimes leading to prosecution and combat serious organized crime,” the agreement says.
In particular, the new government wants to know how many foreigners are involved in organized crime gangs, making it a crime to even be part of a gang and to be able to deport foreigners suspected of being gang members, even if they have not been convicted in court.
5. More tools to fight the climate crisis
The new government plans to do more to tackle the climate crisis while sticking to Sweden’s current commitments to carbon reduction.
For starters, there is more money for nuclear power, with €36 billion in credit guarantees to build new nuclear power plants, and also rules to make it harder to shut down nuclear power plants.
And to ensure the security of electricity supply in the shorter term (and to keep prices low), the government will investigate whether it is feasible to reopen two nuclear power plants in the south of the country that were closed in recent years.
There will be a price cap on energy bills, funded by the government, introduced in November, and the country’s network of electric vehicle charging points will be expanded.