More than 40 days have passed without a new government in sight. Magdalena Andersson has failed in the so far only prime ministerial vote. In her proposed government documents, there are incompatible demands where V demands ministerial positions to support a government, and C has a red line against left-wing ministers.
- This was a highly probable outcome that the party leadership should have been prepared for, says Annie Ross.
She is chairman of the Social Democrats' largest association, the Reformists, where she faces great concern among her members. Among other things, over the silence about what the party leadership wants for government.
- As the largest party, which will shape the government alternative, I had hoped that we would show more leadership about what we want with a collaboration, not least when it comes to the political content.
Annie Ross says that a certain silence can be natural when government negotiations are underway.
- But it has not become clearer after election day what the Social Democrats want with a red-green government and what policy they think such a government will pursue. And the members therefore live in great uncertainty about what the party leadership wants.
For the Reformists, which consist of around 6,000 left-leaning social democrats, the lack of clarity about what policy S wants to pursue makes one remember the January agreement with horror.
- Then they sold out a lot of social democratic ideology and politics for the government. And now there are a lot of people who are worried that it will happen again. Of course, I understand that we have to compromise. But we also need to be very clear about what our political red lines are.
Annie Ross is also afraid that V's demands for ministerial positions will lead to too high a political price in the form of a right-leaning: the same mistake that S made with the January agreement.
- If the government issue is the most important for the Left Party, I am concerned that it will result in accepting more center-oriented politics.
She believes that the party leadership should have talked together and built the red-green team throughout the last term. Above all, she thinks it is clear that the S management hoped to break the bloc policy - and therefore did not build relations with the Left Party.
- I think that was a mistake. I lack a long-term strategy for how to build a progressive majority for us. I'm disappointed we haven't done it sooner.
In the election, the Social Democrats got just over 28 percent - a decrease of over two percentage points compared to the election in 2022. Annie Ross sees the result as a rejection of the Social Democratic election strategy.
- A lot of people perceived us as unclear, and that has been a problem for us. During this mandate, we must work to restore people's faith that we actually keep our promises and deliver on our policies.
She believes that the perceived lack of clarity is due to the fact that S, in his eagerness to come to power, tried to adapt in order to attract Tidöväljare.
- But it obviously hasn't worked. We lose to the Tidö side even though our goal was to win over those voters.
Now she is worried that the adaptation will also affect the government negotiations.
- The strategy we have had is a losing strategy. If we let that strategy become permanent in what we negotiate, I am very worried about what it would mean for the Social Democrats.
What would you like to see from Magdalena Andersson now?
- I would have liked to have spoken more clearly about what we see as the way forward and what kind of political direction and political demands we have.
If the S-leader does not get a government together, what will happen to the party?
- You will be allowed to cross that bridge on the day it happens. But I see no alternative but to solve this, says Annie Ross.
