Swedish Green Party electoral progress

From the Swedish Green Party

Dear green friends,

In yesterday's elections, the Swedish green party went from 5.2 % to 7.2%, which is our best result ever for parliamentary elections, making us the third largest party in parliament instead of the smallest one, going from 19 to 25 parliamentarians. We came out stronger in the three major cities, Stockholm (best election ever for the greens with 13.7%), Gothenburg (9.8%) and in Malmö (7.5%). Still not sure about the majorities, last votes need to be counted first (votes from abroad etc).

Still, it is hard to be thrilled over the result. Opinion polls do - as you all are aware - not equal election results, but all opinion polls lately have given us a better result than this. Also, we were not able to form a majority with the red-green parties. And a new party - the Sweden democrats, a populist xenophobic right-wing party with a nazi background - entered the Swedish parliament and got 20 seats.

None of the political blocs obtained a majority of their own - 172 for the right-wing alliance, 153 for the red-greens and 20 seats for the Sweden democrats. Prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt of the Conservative party has expressed that he intends to continue governing. In his speech to his followers on election night, he stretched out a hand to the Swedish Green Party. Our spokesperson Maria Wetterstrand ruled that out, given the government's track record on nuclear, climate policy and social security issues.

Some press reactions (in English):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11367622
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2010/09/sweden-wakes-up-to-a-far-right-hangover/68917.aspx
http://www.thelocal.se/29128/20100920/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/19/sweden-election-reinfeldt-democrats-right
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/world/europe/20sweden.html?_r=1&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB

And some photos from the election day (and night!):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miljopartiet/

All election results can be found at www.val.se (in Swedish)

For any questions, do not hesitate to get back to me,


Anna-Karin Andersson

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Internationell sekreterare/International secretary
Miljöpartiet de gröna/Swedish Green Party