Photo : AA/Swedish Election Authority
IN FOCUS
Sweden elections: Differences within right coalition and issues in Sweden
By Padmashree Anandhan
On 11 September, under the election authority of Sweden elections to the Riksdag and municipal and regional councils was conducted. On 15 September, the vote count revealed the victory of the right-wing coalition with 176 seats out of 349 in the parliament, while Magdalena Andersson's (Social Democrats) centre-left coalition lost by margin with 173 seats. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson resigned from her position and said: “I know that a lot of Swedes are concerned. I see your concern and I share it.” Upon the right-wing’s support to Moderate party leader, Ulf Kristersson will form the government. The Sweden Democrats leader, Jimmie Akesson said: “It is time to start rebuilding security, prosperity and cohesion. It’s time to put Sweden first.”
Election results
The final vote count of 2022 elections showed the largest share of votes being won by the Social Democrats with 31.68 per cent followed by Sweden Democrats with 21.27 per cent, pushing the Moderates to third place with 19.1 per cent. With the Liberal and Christian Democrats winning 4.25 per cent and 5.3 per cent, totalling to 49.92 per cent whereas, the left-wing coalition including Social Democrats, center and left parties closed 49.2 per cent. In the 2018 and 2014 elections the competition has prevailed only between the Social Democrats and the Moderates, where the Sweden slowly gained ground from 12.86 per cent in 2014, 17.53 per cent in 2018 to crossing 20 per cent in 2022.
The differences within right-wing coalition
Since the existence of the Sweden Democrats, the Moderates, liberal and Christian parties have been in conflict with its policies. Although the Sweden Democrats hold the majority votes, their influence in fulfilling its policy agenda with the differed interest of long-standing Moderate party and Liberal party would be a challenge. Especially in terms of dealing crimes, education system, deportation of immigrants, welfare benefits, and energy needs. The balancing act will dwell upon the Moderates to negotiate the differences and bring consensus. With the removal of Social Democrats, and replacing of a four-party left-wing coalition, Sweden’s political landscape is about to take the roller-coaster.
Issues within Sweden
The steady rise of right was possible over the years 2014 to 2022 due to many reasons.
First, imbalanced approach towards migrants. The Social Democrats Party promised to keep the migrants under check, to fasten the deportation process of those rejected application, and assured to thin down the count of “non-Nordic” immigrants from Somalia, China and Italy. Although the immigration policy was not a major issue until 2015 migration crisis from Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan fear began to emerge amongst the Swedes over integration. The problem is real as Sweden’s one-fifth of the 10 million people were born from the Syria, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Second, law and order. Sweden which is known for its happiness index, high standard of living, women rights and liberal laws in accepting asylum seekers, when it comes to controlling gun laws it lags behind. According to The New York Times report, the shootings increased to 273 during 2010 to 2018, and stands at 379 in 2020. Despite government’s strict control over gun licensing which is given only to hunting rifles, the rise in illegal trade and smuggling has led to the stocking of firearms from Turkey, Balkan, and eastern European countries. This has led to the fall of trust amongst the people who had lived for decades.
Third, the inflation and energy crisis. The rising energy prices, falter in the welfare benefits, taxes on high earning groups and Sweden’s increased military expenditure upon Ukraine war is also a major problem which the current government has to address.
References
“Elections to the Riksdag - Final election results - The Kingdom,” resultat.val.se, 14 September 2022
Christina Anderson and Isabella Kwai, “In Dramatic Shift, Right-Wing Bloc Wins Slim Majority in Sweden,” nytimes, 14 September 2022
Amanda Taub, “Sweden’s Far Right Just Made History. Is It the Country’s Future?,” nytimes, 14 September 2022
“Swedish election: The astonishing rise of the right-wing Sweden Democrats,” Deutsche Welle, 15 September 2022
“Sweden election: PM Magdalena Andersson resigns after right-wing victory,” Deutsche Welle, 15 September 2022
IN BRIEF
By Sai Pranav
ITALY
Meloni and Salvini clash over energy crisis measures
On 15 September, the rift within the right-wing coalition (conservative alliance) between Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy Party and Matteo Salvini of the Lega Nord Party became apparent over energy crisis debate. While Salvini proposed on borrowing of EUR 30 billion to help Italy’s low-income households and businesses struck from soaring energy prices. Meloni argued that Italy being the second most debt-ridden country in the Eurozone and further borrowing would put the next generation under financial stress. She also said that the energy crisis had triggered temporary market speculation and would remain temporary pass over. The support for Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party due to her straight forwardness and her stand to not join Prime Minister Mario Dragi. (Crispian Balmer, “Italy's Meloni clashes with ally Salvini over energy crisis,” Reuters, 15 September 2022)
REGIONAL
EU proposed new Cyber Resilience Act in the annual address
On 15 September, the European Commission shared a new proposal for a Cyber Resilience Act to strengthen and protect consumers and businesses from products with inadequate security features. The cyber resilience act will be the first introduced in the EU legislation. It will ensure all digital products, both hardware and software, have mandatory cybersecurity requirements that should be fulfilled throughout their entire life circle. Making digital products more secure and beneficial to consumers across the EU is also one of the act's objectives. The act also makes the manufacturers and sellers of digital products more responsible, providing security assistance, and patching up any identified vulnerabilities with software updates. Vice President Margaritis Schinas presented the Cyber Resilience Act, and Commissioner Thierry Breton introduced the Cyber Resilience Act in the morning press conference. (“State of the Union: new EU cybersecurity rules to strengthen the security of computer software and hardware,” ec.europa.eu, 15 September 2022)
The EU’s new rules allow recycled plastic to be used for food packaging
On 15 September, new rules were taken up by the Commission regarding the usage of recycled plastic in the packaging of foods across the EU. It aims to increase overall sustainability in the food sector and to fulfil the objectives of the “Circular Economy Action Plan.” It has deemed the usage of recycled plastic in food packaging as safe. The new rules will also help the EU to reduce its plastic waste and boost the market for recycled plastic. More sustainability towards food packaging leads to protecting both environment and people will also be possible with the new rules. The recycling industry can also find new ways to make recycled plastic safer for food packaging. (“Circular economy: new EU rules to allow use of recycled plastics in food packaging,” ec.europa.eu, 15 September 2022)
Latvia accused for poor sustainable resource management
On 15 September, European Commission criticized Latvia for its incapability of utilizing the fund offered by the EU to solve environmental problems. Latvia was unable to implement sustainable management of the environment and resources. Mainly in terms of biodiversity management, circular economy, productivity of resources and the quality of water. The governments postponed the task of sustainable resource management several times and the inability to use the Latvian Fund for Nature and funds provided by the EU. While it had good progress only in waste management. (“European Commission criticizes Latvia for inability to implement sustainable management of resources, improve situation with natural habitats,” The Baltic Times, 15 September 2022)
“Hungary can no longer be considered a full democracy,” says European Parliament
On 15 September, Hungary was deemed an “electoral autocracy” by the Members of the European Parliament. It condemned the country for sliding into authoritarianism under the rule of the right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The MEPs said that Hungary has taken up a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy rather than being complete democracy. The European lawmakers demanded the European Commission withhold funds to Hungary until it complies with the rules of the EU, implement the judgements given by the ECHR and ECJ, and to exclude from EU’s funding programmes. The key problems of Hungary pointed by the members were its constitutional and electoral system, its control over independence of the judiciary, corruption within the State, lack of freedom to its citizens and restriction of media. (Alex Berry, “European Parliament slams Hungary as an 'electoral autocracy',” Deutsche Welle 15 September 2022)
War in Ukraine: Day 204
By Rishma Banerjee
War on the Ground
On 14 September, Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar released a statement about the counteroffensive by Ukraine in Kharkiv. She said that the frontline is around 2500 kilometers and active fighting is taking place within 1300 kilometers. According to Maliar, Ukraine needs more "time, strength and patience" for more success in the region. She reaffirmed Ukraine has a long road ahead of a complete win.
On 15 September, Ukrinform reported about a press release by the human resource website grc.ua about the condition of Ukraine's job market. The study revealed that 40 per cent of Ukraine’s pre-war workforce had lost their jobs and only 23 per cent of employees are still receiving full wages for their work. Most of these job losses were because of termination of the company due to the war, some because of their positions being cut and some because the company relocated to a different region.
on 14 February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy conducted a work trip to the Kharkiv region and held a meeting on energy security issues in the region. According to the briefing presented to him by the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Head, Oleg Syniehubov 16 communities in the region had been completely de-occupied and 7 were partially de-occupied. While before Ukraine's recent counteroffensive, 32 per cent of Kharkiv region was under Russia's control, now only 6 per cent still remains so. Zelenskyy emphasized the need to restore electricity and conduct swift restoration work in the region. On the same issue, the Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko noted that the pace of repair will depend on how quickly the territories can be demined.
Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska attended Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union Address at the European Commission. She wrote about the report released by the EU outlining their goals for the coming year and reiterated EU’s support for Ukraine against Russia’s aggression. She thanked Von der Leyen for the invitation; saying that she was honoured to represent Ukraine in the meeting which has set a precedent by inviting a foreign guest for the first time. The two leaders discussed issues like problems faced by Ukrainians abroad, the psychological rehabilitation and treatment of Ukraine’s service personnel and civilians and the education for Ukraine’s youth. She highlighted how Von der Leyen has commissioned EUR 100 million for the reconstruction of 74 Ukrainian schools as a part of the Fast Recovery Plan.
The Moscow View
Claims by Russia
On 15 September, RIA Novosti reported on President Vladimir Putin’s statement on China’s stance regarding the conflict in Ukraine. Speaking on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Putin mentioned that China’s “balanced position” was greatly appreciated by Russia. He added that Russia understood the various questions and concerns regarding the same and will address them during the course of the summit.
On the same day, TASS reported on Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s comments about “filtration measures” carried on in Ukraine. She alleged that these measures, taken in the de-occupied territories, indicated the killing of civilians as done by Ukraine’s Special Services. She said: These people get killed… This is not a matter of doing some kind of justice. It’s absolute lawlessness, which in principle, does not fit in with any norms of any humanitarian law. I emphasize once again that thousands of people, peaceful civilians, are forced through these filtration measures.”
Zakharova spoke about Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to the UN General Assembly. She mentioned that Lavrov will address a session at the UNGA. He and his delegation plans to hold around 20 bilateral meetings on the sidelines. Zakharova added that in the upcoming meetings Russia will reaffirm their compliance with the UN Charter and related principles of the equality of sovereigns and non-interference in domestic affairs. Russia will be defending their stance regarding the current conflict and look to increase the UN’s role as a coordinator of International Affairs.
On 15 September, Gazprom released a report on the production and supply of gas from 01 January to 15 September as a Telegram post. Gazprom recorded that it had produced only 300.8 billion cubic meters of gas in 2022, which was 15.9 per cent less than in 2021. The data collected discussed the gas export to Europe, especially Germany and Ukraine. It talked about the Siberia gas pipeline connected to China. China is receiving a steady gas supply from Russia under the long-term bilateral contract between Gazprom and CNPC. The data showed that there had been a decrease in the production and supply of gas in 2022 when compared to 2021.
On 14 September, Russia's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov said that if Ukraine wants to guarantee its own security, it should work towards eliminating the risks it poses to Russia's security. Referring to the Kyiv Security Compact, Peskov said that Russia will take steps if the security guarantees are signed. Speaking about how only the leadership in Ukraine can ensure its security, he said: "The leadership of that country should only take actions that, accordingly, will eliminate the threat to Russia. Kiev knows perfectly well what these actions should be.”
The West View
Responses from the US and Europe
On 15 September, the European Investment Bank sent its first tranche of the EUR 1.59 billion package from the Ukraine Solidarity Urgent Response. The package was approved in July 2022 and the first tranche is of EUR 500 million. The aid, which is supported by an EU guarantee and coordinated by the European Commission, will prioritize short-term financing needs, ensure urgent repairs of damaged infrastructure like roads, bridges and railway complexes.
On 15 September, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published an interview with Germany’s Finance Minister Annalena Baerbock. She said that Chancellor Olaf Scholz should take a stand on whether to supply Ukraine with more weapons, given its request for German Leopard-2 tanks. She mentioned that such a decision could not be taken by the Chancellor alone, but would be decided by Germany's three-party ruling coalition. Germany's Economy Minister, Robert Habeck commented on the issue and said Germany is expected to send more of the "right weapons" to Ukraine soon.
On 14 September, both Democratic and the Republican Party senators in the US introduced a new legislation. The new law, if approved will label Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. One of the sponsors of the bill, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, cited Russia's invasion of Ukraine and continued aggression as a reason for the designation. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that such a designation would send a strong signal to US allies to support Ukraine too. However, previously President Joe Biden had denounced the possibility of labelling Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Russia too maintains that diplomatic ties would be significantly damages and could also be broken if it is added to the list of State Sponsor of Terrorism, which currently includes Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Syria.
The Global Fallouts
Implications of the Ukraine war
On 15 September, World Bank’s Managing Director of Operations, Axel van Trotsenburg said that the World Bank is prepared to grant up to USD 30 billion to combat the global food shortage. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was blamed for catalyzing the crisis. He expressed solidarity with Ukraine, referring to the disbursement of around USD 10 billion of the USD 13 billion financial aid pledged by the World Bank.
On 14 September, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke to Putin about the UN's efforts for the smooth implementation of the Black Sea grain deal. He mentioned how the Secretariat and other UN agencies were working to remove all obstacles to ensure the supply for grains and fertilizers to the international market. The situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was also discussed and Putin indicated that Russia was prepared to cooperate with the assessment of the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) delegation.
References
“40% of Ukrainians Lost Jobs Due to War – Study,” Kyiv Post, 15 September 2022
“Ukraine is on the agenda of the European Union,” Telegram, 14 September 2022
“President held a meeting on the energy security of the Kharkiv region,” president.gov.ua, 14 September 2022
“Defense Ministry’s update on liberated areas of Kharkiv region: 388 settlements de-occupied,” Ukrinform, 14 September 2022
“Putin assessed China's position on Ukraine,” LENTA.RU, 15 September 2022
“Kiev’s "filtration measures" imply killings of people - Russian MFA,” TASS, 15 September 2022
“Lavrov to speak at UN General Assembly session, hold up to 20 meetings,” TASS, 15 September 2022
Gazprom, “Production and supply of gas: results of eight and a half months,” Telegram, 15 September 2022
“Removing threat to Russia is ‘the best security guarantee’ for Ukraine, says Kremlin,” TASS, 14 September 2022
“European Investment Bank, in cooperation with the Commission, starts disbursing EUR 1.59 billion package to aid Ukraine,” ec.europa.eu, 15 September 2022
“German FM urges swift decision on tank delivery to Ukraine,” AP News, 16 September 2022
Patricia Zengerle, “U.S. senators introduce bill to designate Russia state sponsor of terrorism,” Reuters, 15 September 2022
Daria Sito-sucic, “World Bank earmarks $30 bln to help offset food shortages worsened by war in Ukraine,” Reuters, 15 September 2022
“Telephone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres,” kremlin.ru, 14 September 2022