Åkesson asks if a KD vote could make Andersson PM

Jimmie Åkesson has challenged whether voters can trust the Christian Democrats, asking if a KD vote could help Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson become prime minister after Sweden’s 13 September election.

The Sweden Democrats leader used his Saturday summer speech to demand clarity after Ebba Busch said she could support Andersson in “war, crisis and an exceptional situation”. Åkesson told TV4 News he wanted an answer before the Tidö parties unveil joint policy on Wednesday, 2 September.

Busch replied that voters can trust her, said KD wants four more years for the governing bloc and told Åkesson to call her if he had questions. She suggested KD’s rise in the polls might be “stressing some people”.

The exchange exposes an imbalance behind the public anger. A Verian poll published on 17 August put the opposition 10 points ahead. An August Novus poll found KD at its highest support of the parliamentary term and SD down 1.3 points, though no party’s change was statistically significant.

TV4 political analyst Magnus Wennerberg argued that Åkesson has fewer post-election partners than Busch: KD, M and L could explore centrist coalitions, while SD is tied most tightly to the Tidö option. The party Åkesson is challenging may therefore have more room to choose than he does.

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