Gustav Gellerbrant has a background within the Moderates and has been an expert for former Minister of Justice Beatrice Ask. He left the party in protest against the December agreement in 2014 and went to the Sweden Democrats ahead of the 2018 election. There he has become one of Jimmie Åkesson's closest officials.
- He is perceived to be very important and is usually described as a key player. Among moderates, he is perceived as someone who can be trusted. It is clear from the role he has been given, says Andreas Johansson Heinö, political scientist, publisher at Timbro, and columnist at Dagens Nyheter.
As head of the coordination office, he has a heavy position within the Government Office.
- It is a central role in the inner room of power. A person in that role is someone who could very well be eligible for a heavy ministerial post if the Tidö parties get a majority, says Jonas Hinnfors, who is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Gothenburg.
Even DN's political editorial office has mentioned him as a bubble when it spoke about who could potentially become Sweden Democratic ministers after the election.
Within the party, Gustav Gellerbrant has been described as the "architect" behind the Sweden Democrats' migration policy.
- The immigration issue is clearly the most important ideological issue within SD, all categories. That is the core, so it is clear that he is a key person in that respect as well, says Hinnfors.
In his current role at the Government Office, Gustav Gellerbrant has, among other things, coordinated the cooperation between the government and the Sweden Democrats. This is precisely why his background in the Moderate Party can be a success factor, Hinnfors believes.
- It gives him an insight into how another party works. That should probably not be underestimated. He knows how the party is organized, how they react and what they think usually works, he says.
Andreas Johansson Heinö also believes that Gellerbrant's background may have facilitated the role of mediator.
- There is a big cultural difference between the parties that both parties are aware of. It is possible that moderates may perceive him as "one who is like us" still, says Johansson Heinö.
Ultimately, it is the Prime Minister's role to coordinate the parties, says Jonas Hinnfors. But part of the role of chief coordinator is to ensure that disagreements between parties do not become so infected that they have to be elevated to party leadership level.
- Since there are different parties with different agendas, it is important to make sure that you steer in the same direction. It is a very important function that now has to be replaced at the eleventh hour.
On Sunday, Gustav Gellerbrant announced that he is going on parental leave with immediate effect. It happens after Expo published an investigation in which his partner, who is an official in the Riksdag, is connected to Russian networks, as well as the spread of Russian propaganda.
Whether, and if so how, the attention surrounding Expo's disclosure affects the election spurt for the Sweden Democrats remains to be seen, says Hinnfors. But with seven days left until the election, the revelation has "crashed right into the election campaign". Now he sees two possible scenarios:
- On the one hand, voters who considered voting for the Sweden Democrats can be scared away. On the other hand, it can mobilize people who believe that this is another shaming move by the establishment.
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