Sweden Democrats May Drop Cabinet Demand - Labour Migration on the Table

STOCKHOLM - For months the Sweden Democrats have insisted they will either sit in government or go into opposition. Now the party is reportedly ready to drop its demand for cabinet posts to win the Centre Party's backing for a government led by Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson. Labour migration may also be on the table - a sore point for many of the party's voters.

The four right-of-centre parties behind the so-called Tidö Agreement have stepped up their efforts to bring the Centre Party on board, several well-placed sources told the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet.

According to the sources, the Sweden Democrats' executive committee, the party's inner circle, will meet in the middle of next week to discuss the government question. Dropping the demand for ministerial posts is on the agenda.

The meeting is set for after Tuesday's vote in parliament, where MPs will decide at 1 pm whether to back Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist as prime minister. Everything suggests she will lose. The task of exploring a new government then passes to Kristersson, who has a week, until 10 November.

READ MORE: Åkesson Ends Sweden Democrats Feud Over Swedishness - Threatens Expulsions

Abstaining to let Kristersson in

One plan under discussion, the paper says, is for the Sweden Democrats to abstain when parliament eventually votes on Kristersson as prime minister. The Centre Party would then be persuaded to do the same.

Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson and Thand Ringqvist have already met during her talks. The sources say meetings have also taken place at other levels, with Moderates and business figures paving the way. Deputy party leader Henrik Vinge is said to play a central role.

Labour migration on the table

The deal would reportedly involve real concessions from the Sweden Democrats.

"We will have to give in on labour migration," one Sweden Democrat source with insight told Aftonbladet.

That would mean accepting the Centre Party's line of a sharply lower salary threshold for labour migrants. In return, the Centre Party would accept the Sweden Democrats' demand that Sweden take in zero, or very few, UN quota refugees.

Two independent sources also say the party leadership wants to end the internal fight over Swedishness so as not to provoke the Centre Party. As part of that, the leadership is said to be discussing cutting the party's million-kronor funding of the media outlet Riks.

Centre Party denies secret talks

Neither party will confirm the reports. After publication the Centre Party rejected the picture of quiet negotiations.

"Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist met Jimmie Åkesson as part of her exploratory mandate. Beyond that, no meetings have taken place between the Centre Party and the Sweden Democrats, at any level," the party wrote.

If the reports are true, it would be a major U-turn. As recently as mid-October, Åkesson wrote in an open letter to the Centre leader that the party's line stood firm and that it would not settle for being a support party.

The Centre Party, for its part, has refused any government that includes the Sweden Democrats or cooperates with them. The September election gave the Social Democrats, the Left Party, the Greens and the Centre Party 176 seats against 173 for the Tidö parties, but Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson was voted down as prime minister on 15 October.

With its seats, the Centre Party now holds the balance of power.