Västerbottniska Vindeln received a whale rocket.
- I have felt that we have had tailwinds, says Anders Forsman (M), top candidate on the list in the municipal elections.
His party advances in 33 municipal elections in Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Västernorrland and Jämtland, according to the still preliminary election results. The party is growing in the regional elections and support from the north is also increasing for the Riksdag. The Social Democrats are collapsing locally, but still remain unthreatened as the largest party in many northern municipalities.
Not in Vindeln, where the Moderates take the lead.
- That we would strike and become the largest party, I had not really expected, says Anders Forsman.
The municipality is located five kilometers northwest of Umeå and has approximately 5,500 inhabitants.
- I draw no other conclusion than that many people want to see something new, he says.
The moderates get 33.7 percent in Vindeln's municipal elections, an increase of 10.6 percentage points compared to 2022. The Social Democrats get 31.9 percent, a drop of 7.0 percentage points.
Anders Forsman says that his party has devoted the election campaign to municipal core activities, association life and business life.
- Then we have the school question, which was quite a hot potato.
Magnus Blomgren is associate professor of political science at Umeå University.
- The red bracket is not quite as red anymore. It has slowed down, and that trend has been going on for quite some time. I thought the Center would break through more, but the Moderates seem to have made the best choice, he says.
At the same time, he points to the position of the Social Democrats.
- In European terms, it is quite unusual that a party is still so strong. It is perhaps not very strange that you lose a little, says Magnus Blomgren.
He notes that the Moderates have been very visible in Västerbotten before the election.
- It is clear that they have invested an enormous amount, moreover for quite a long time.
The parties' candidates can be decisive in the local elections.
- How widely known they are, how popular they are. This can make it stand out, up or down, for a specific party in a municipality, says Magnus Blomgren.
Kalix politician Linda Frohm has sat on the Moderates' party board since 2015. She says that the party has struggled to reach the countryside.
- You have to research yourself a bit, we have previously been perceived as a big city party. From a national level, we have worked long-term to change that perception, she says.
In this year's election, she believes that the fuel issue may have attracted voters.
- We have been very careful to keep fuel prices down to the EU minimum level. It is of course of great importance to us who are completely dependent on cars, says Linda Frohm.
In Kalix municipality, the Social Democrats are the largest, despite a loss of 4.4 percentage points. The preliminary figures show that the party gets 38.2 percent in the municipal election. The moderates get 28.6 percent, an increase of 6.6 percentage points.
- I usually say that we have grown sustainably. We have managed to supply the various assignments with expertise and have gotten more people involved, says Linda Frohm.
She says that the party has focused locally on growth and population growth. Questions that, according to Linda Frohm, are a prerequisite for faith in the future in a municipality like Kalix.
- We are also strong in the younger part of the electorate.
