The Sweden Democrats’ party leader Jimmie Åkesson gave several clear statements during SVT’s party leader interview on Sunday evening. He wants to see a continued strict migration policy, opposes expensive Swedish climate measures, and wants the Liberals to have a clear deadline for when center-right voters should stop casting tactical votes for the party. He also gave clear positions regarding Islam.

The interview was held in Sölvesborg, Blekinge — Åkesson’s hometown — and was hosted by SVT’s Camilla Kvartoft and Anders Holmberg.

The topics covered included climate, migration, the economy, and perspectives on Islam. In particular, the climate policy and the relationship with the Liberals prompted several clear statements from the SD leader.

During the interview, SVT also described ETC as an “independent red-green” newspaper. Such favorable exposure is hardly something conservative media can expect.

Facsimile SVT.

Dagens ETC is also a major recipient of state media support and for several years has received tens of millions of kronor annually from taxpayers.

ALSO READ: SVT’s terminology: “Far-right” mentioned 79 times more often than “far-left”

But Åkesson reacted to the way ETC was described and struck back at the government reporters.

— Very independent, then, said the SD leader, laughing before the hosts.

SVT Pressed on Climate Issue

Over the weekend, about 50,000 people gathered in Stockholm for a so-called climate march, and this was of course a priority issue for the tax-funded public service broadcaster, which has invested in “climate correspondents” in its newsroom and blasts out climate-focused news every week.

SVT questioned Åkesson about the summer heat, which was described as “extreme heat.” The SD leader had nothing in particular to say about the number of people gathered in Stockholm.

— That says absolutely nothing.

Åkesson was also asked if the wildfires in France, Spain, Greece, and Italy had made him worried about climate developments. They had not. The fact that many of the fires turned out to be arson did not get any focus from SVT.

— No, I think it mostly seems to have caused worry among the establishment and media elite. I don’t think ordinary people are particularly worried about it as such, said Åkesson, and continued:

— Fires occur periodically. Right now, it seems to be burning more than in other periods. That may very well be because the climate is changing, and according to research, it is because humans have engaged in activities that affect emissions and so forth.

ALSO READ: 162 arrested suspected of arson forest fires — human impact behind many major blazes

At the same time, Åkesson stated that he does not deny the climate is changing. The conflict, as he sees it, is instead about where emission reductions should be made and what costs are reasonable to impose on Swedish households.

— The big conflict is whether we should reduce emissions in Sweden to the detriment of the Swedish people, or reduce emissions where it actually makes a real difference.

Abolish Fuel Tax

SD, among other things, wants to completely remove the tax on fuel. Åkesson argues that today’s costs hit especially hard for people living outside the big cities who rely on their cars for daily life.

— It is unreasonable in a country as large as Sweden, where people really also live outside urban areas and depend on their car. One should be able to get around in a sensible way without having to sell house and home, said Åkesson.

When the hosts asked whether such a policy risks leading to higher emissions, his reply was:

— The problem isn’t in Sweden, it’s in other countries.

The SD leader therefore believes that Sweden should increasingly direct its climate efforts toward other parts of the world, where he believes the money can have a greater impact. He also does not want Sweden to reduce its economic maneuvering room by insisting at all costs on the EU’s 2030 climate targets.

Immigration

Migration was another main topic in the interview. Åkesson defended the increased remigration grant, which since January 1 can amount to up to 350,000 kronor per person.

So far, 171 people have been granted the support, which the SD leader describes as positive. For him, the issue is primarily about Sweden’s demographic development.

— The crucial thing is that we get control of the demographics in our country.

ALSO READ: Ekeroth: 217,000 new citizens — the center-right’s historic own goal?

Åkesson describes the remigration grant as profitable for Sweden, but is open to changing the rules if the system doesn’t work as intended.

He also wants a bigger change to the system of permanent residence permits. During the next parliamentary term, SD wants to convert permanent residence permits to temporary ones.

According to Åkesson, this should be combined with a deadline by which those affected must meet the new requirements related to residency and citizenship.

— I think the first step is to look at those who have had these permanent residence permits for a very long time.

One group that could be particularly affected is the approximately 5,000 unaccompanied migrants — without asylum grounds — who received permanent residence permits after the 2018 upper secondary school law.

Åkesson’s Deadline for Liberals

The most concrete electoral announcement during the interview, however, concerned the Liberals. The party has often hovered near or below the parliamentary threshold in opinion polls, and Åkesson now wants a clear line for when voters within the Tidö cooperation group should stop trying to save the party.

If the Liberals do not reach at least 3.5 percent in opinion polls ten days before the election, Åkesson believes blue-yellow voters should cast their votes for one of the other parties in the cooperation.

— I’ve said that if there are 10 days left before the election and they haven’t reached 3.5 percent in the polls, then in my view “blue-yellow voters” should vote for someone else in this bloc, he said.

The threshold is thus below parliament’s formal four-percent cutoff, but Åkesson argues that a party polling so far below the threshold so close to the election risks those votes lacking representation.

— If you’re so far under the threshold ten days before an election, those votes are wasted, said Åkesson during the SVT interview.

In two recent opinion polls referenced during the interview, the Liberals had support from 1.9 percent of voters.

Åkesson states that he has not discussed his assessment with Moderate leader and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. According to the SD leader, it’s an analysis the party has made based on the current opinion landscape.

— I have not talked to Ulf Kristersson about this; rather, it’s an analysis we have made based on what we have seen is reasonable, Åkesson said.

At the same time, he is clear that it is not SD’s job to save the Liberals. He has previously stated that the Sweden Democrats have no responsibility to cast tactical votes for the Liberals and describes L as a political opponent in ideological terms.

— I regard L as political opponents from an ideological point of view.

Åkesson believes the parties are far apart on several key issues, including the EU, the euro, climate policy, and aid policy. He has also described the Liberals as a “brake block” in the Tidö cooperation.

At the same time, he refers to a conflict that has existed the entire parliamentary term, which he says goes back to the Liberals’ previous stance in the cooperation.

— These are issues that have haunted us for months, ever since L decided to abandon these red lines.

Despite the criticism, he does not call the cooperation a failure.

— I do not say the cooperation has been bad. On the contrary. But I mean that if L hadn’t been in this cooperation, we could have achieved even more, he said.

He also said he hopes the Liberals make the parliamentary threshold, even though he believes there must be a point when voters in the blue-yellow bloc start thinking strategically.

— There is a final date for when you stop hoping for them, said the SD leader.

SD Politician as Minister of Migration

Åkesson also announced that Sweden needs a Minister of Migration from the Sweden Democrats in the next parliamentary term.

Islam is More Than a Religion

The interview also addressed the Sweden Democrats’ view on Islam, where questions about top SD politician Richard Jomshof’s highly publicized statements led to one of the more heated discussions between Åkesson and the hosts.

The SD leader emphasized that he sees Islam differently than the hosts and described the religion’s role as broader than just a question of faith.

— It’s difficult when we are so diametrically opposed in our views of what kind of value system Islam is, where I argue that it’s not only a religion but also a political value system, said Åkesson.

Anyone who wants to see the whole interview can watch the 60-minute broadcast HERE.