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Mid-term, the Swedish Democrats have grown even more in public opinion compared to the last elections. The party received 21 percent in recent DN / Ipsos and periodically it has been even higher.
DN / Ipso polls also show that the majority of Christian Democrat and moderate voters are open to awarding Jimmie Åkesson and his party comrades ministerial posts in the upcoming elections. Åkesson’s own voters are unequivocal in favor of such collaboration.
It’s a position of strength This gives the SD leader confidence as he looks towards 2022, when he hopes to form a government together with Ulf Kristersson (M) and Ebba Busch (KD).
– Our starting point is to have the greatest possible influence. It is clear that the executive power he has as a minister is desirable. It is clear that we will have that power in the long term, says Jimmie Åkesson.
In a possible negotiation of ministerial positions, the leader of the SD is clear about his priorities.
– If you look at our profile questions, of course the Ministry of Justice is very interesting for us. As can be seen today, both judicial policy and immigration policy are handled there. We are the party that, as far as I know, has the highest level of trust among voters on immigration issues. We also have a high level of confidence in judicial policy. So it feels like a natural area to deal with in such a constellation of government.
“We have been at the Riksdag for ten years and I think we have shown that we are ready to take responsibility.”
Photo: Magnus Hallgren
If so, is it a post that you would like?
– Yes, Absolut.
What other areas of responsibility are you interested in?
– Energy policy is an area in which I believe we have broad competence and we can perform. It is we, together with the liberals, who have promoted a different energy policy based on the development of nuclear energy.
– Any connection with the Ministry of Finance would also be reasonable. Then you must decide on the size of the parties and who forms the government. But you may not have to be finance minister, there are other positions that can be linked to the finance ministry with a more limited portfolio, says Jimmie Åkesson.
You’ve made sure you can stand by and critique decisions you haven’t been involved in. Are you ready to step in and take on the responsibility that a ministerial role would entail?
– Yes, it’s time. We have been in the Riksdag for ten years and I think we have shown that we are ready to take responsibility. And if we look at the municipalities where we govern or help moderate or Christian Democrats to govern, my impression is that you are very happy with these collaborations.
For Jimmie Åkesson, it is a minimum requirement that the Swedish Democrats have influence over budget policy if they want to support the next prime minister.
Photo: Magnus Hallgren
How do you see instead being a support party in the Riksdag cooperating on the budget?
– It is a minimum requirement if we want to support the next Prime Minister, that we have influence over budget policy. So I’m not sure that is enough. There are many important areas in which we want to do a lot of things that are not covered by the budget other than in terms of credits, such as judicial policy and immigration policy.
Both Ulf Kristersson (M) and Ebba Busch (KD) have met with you and opened negotiations. How are your contacts now?
– There are good contacts. Sometimes we listen. Then it may not be what you decide. The political workshop is here in the Riksdag and those contacts have developed radically in the last year. I myself saw in the Migration Committee that there are bilateral discussions in a way that had not happened before.
But it’s no secret that a relationship has developed between Ebba Busch and Ulf Kristersson, me in the sense that we reconcile things from time to time.
– But it’s no secret that a relationship has developed between Ebba Busch and Ulf Kristersson, me in the sense that we reconcile things from time to time. Personally, I think there are good conditions to agree on many things, says Jimmie Åkesson.
How do you see the conditions for it to be part of the same base of government as the Center Party and the Liberals?
– The center can probably be excluded, at least under the leadership it has today under Annie Lööf and the direction the party has taken. You base your entire existence on being an opponent of us and not giving us any influence.
– Liberals, on the other hand, I think are more interesting. They have changed to a leadership that has shifted its focus to justice policy, migration and integration. I experience Nyamko Sabuni as a politician with whom I could have rewarding conversations.
One thing Jimmie Åkesson wants to do if he becomes Minister of Justice is make it easier for the police to eavesdrop on people who have a criminal lifestyle.
Photo: Magnus Hallgren
So he wants to influence immigration policy. What is the difference today between you and the moderates in that area?
– What the moderates are talking about today is what we talked about ten years ago, namely that we need to adapt migration to Nordic levels. It is a step in the right direction, but it is too late. They talk about volume targets that allow several thousand to come here per year. We believe that the goal should be a negative goal.
He has spoken of return as the next great battle in immigration policy. Is this one of the dividing lines?
– Yes it is. The opinion of asylum immigration has long been that people should come here, get a permanent residence permit, then integration measures should be implemented to become part of Swedish society. My starting point is that people should be given temporary protection if they cannot get it elsewhere for as long as they need it, and in the meantime it is better to prepare for the return.
If you were to become Minister of Justice, what would you do if the current government does not?
– It’s partly about more police. It must not happen as it happened recently in Gothenburg that two policemen end up at a disadvantage against 20 gang criminals. The monopoly of violence should not be challenged in this way. The police must also have the authority to take the necessary measures: these are secret coercive measures. For example, it must be considerably easier to eavesdrop on people who have a criminal lifestyle.
“What is happening now is that the rule of law is relaxing,” says Jimmie Åkesson.
Photo: Magnus Hallgren
But much of what current Attorney General Morgan Johansson (S) does goes in that direction, right?
– It is said, but there is still a lot of focus on preventive measures, we must have more leisure centers in vulnerable areas and so on. It should not be underestimated, but that is not what is needed here and now. Morgan Johansson has said for many years that we are now on the verge of ending gangs, but in reality it has only gotten worse.
Extensive changes such as anonymous witnesses, visiting zones and wiretapping without concrete criminal suspicion are already being discussed. How far are you prepared to go in terms of restrictions on legal principles and integrity?
– To the extent necessary for law-abiding citizens to feel safe. We probably have to be prepared to go quite far. But not all measures need to be universal. Visiting areas may, for example, be linked to a highly vulnerable geographical area.
Do you see any conflict of legal objectives?
– What is happening now is that the rule of law is being relaxed. The monopoly on violence is losing ground. Barricades are set up to control districts, so it is almost as if we have capitulated and we should never do so. It is clear that there is a conflict of objectives, but the situation is so dire now that the repressive must be allowed to weigh in for a while, says Jimmie Åkesson.
DN leader: Kristersson should learn from Löfven: government power is not free
