The Sweden Democrats will return to being a party capable of cooperating across party lines. This was announced by party leader Jimmie Åkesson in an op-ed where he simultaneously attacks his former government partners. According to Åkesson, the Sweden Democrats have lost voters by being associated with the center-right, while the Moderates and Christian Democrats have taken credit for reforms they themselves did not want to carry out.

After the election, the Sweden Democrats made major changes among their members of parliament. Several prominent representatives received new committee assignments, including Tobias Andersson, who previously chaired the Committee on Industry and Trade.

These changes have attracted attention and have been described as dismissals. There have also been claims that the reshuffling is an attempt to make the Sweden Democrats more attractive to the Centre Party.

In an op-ed in Expressen, Jimmie Åkesson rejects these explanations. He emphasizes that the party’s election result has led to fewer mandates and thus fewer committee seats to distribute, but also that the changes are part of a broader effort to renew the party for the future.

Accuses Moderates and Christian Democrats of Taking Credit

Åkesson notes that the Sweden Democrats have implemented significant portions of their policies during the four years the party has collaborated with the center-right government. He highlights immigration policy, criminal policy, reduced fuel costs, and the dental care reform for the elderly, among others.

At the same time, he believes that the cooperation has come at a high political price. The Sweden Democrats have increasingly been perceived as a center-right party, while representatives of the Moderates and Christian Democrats have been able to take credit for political achievements that Åkesson claims were actually driven by the Sweden Democrats.

– At the same time, moderate and Christian democratic ministers have been able to take credit for reforms that they did not originally want to carry out. Reforms that we have had to fight tooth and nail for in negotiations to get through, he writes.

Åkesson claims that the center-right parties have lacked either the ability or the will to carry out key parts of the Tidö Agreement themselves. He describes the Sweden Democrats as the driving force behind the government cooperation’s reforms and argues that the party’s lack of ministerial posts has caused this role to be obscured.

He also points to this as the main reason for the party’s decline in the election. When the Moderates appear competent enough on the Sweden Democrats’ traditional core issues, while SD has lower credibility in other political areas, voters, according to him, have fewer reasons to choose the Sweden Democrats.

“We Are Not a Center-Right Party”

Åkesson’s conclusion is that the Sweden Democrats must regain their independent position in Swedish politics. The party should maintain its strong profile in migration and crime, but also build greater trust in welfare and economic policy.

– The Sweden Democrats do not belong to any of the traditional blocs. We are not a center-right party. We have no red lines. We can cooperate in either direction depending on what gives us the best chance to push our policies, writes Åkesson.

In doing so, the SD leader explicitly opens up for future cooperation even with parties on the political left. He also emphasizes that the Sweden Democrats’ long-term ambition is not to compete with the Moderates for second place in Swedish politics, but to grow into the country’s largest party.

According to Åkesson, the party’s previous focus on migration and crime has been successful, but to reach the next level a broader political profile is needed. He specifically points to working people, families, the elderly, children, and small business owners as groups the party should represent.

The work has already been named “Sweden Democrats after Tidö” and will be developed ahead of the party’s national convention in the autumn of 2027.

– It has always been my conviction that the Sweden Democrats can become Sweden’s largest party, but for that we need to take further steps in building trust in our political platform as a whole, writes Åkesson.