The rain poured down on Gothenburg and Gustav Adolfs torg on Tuesday morning.
It was about as little surprising news for the kingdom's second city as the message that was left inside the Stock Exchange, with the Social Democrats' group leader Jonas Attenius at the center of the new political board's press conference.
Even though it was already clear on election night that the Social Democrats, the Left Party and the Green Party now had their own majority, 43 of the 81 seats in the council, it still took 44 days to put the entire Gothenburg puzzle together.
In addition to the fact that five new municipal councilors were to be shaken up and piloted in, one question was also left open:
How it will be with the Center Party this time.
During the just-ended mandate period, the red-greens governed Gothenburg in a minority with the help of so-called electoral cooperation with the Center.
C then agreed to only vote on its own budget - and thus release it from the S-V-MP - in exchange for the tax not being raised, and the party got seats on the municipal board and on some committees.
Now, after the election, the Center is not needed for its own red-green majority. But there is still much evidence that, primarily S and Jonas Attenius, are seeking a renewed agreement with C - to secure long-term good relations, locally and nationally.
The center does not reach a seat on the municipal board on its own.
- We will continue to strive to have a good collaboration with C, there are ongoing discussions, Attenius answered DN's question and said that he will return next week about possible "electoral cooperation".
Despite the fact that the Left Party has been pushing for too high a tax in Gothenburg for many years, it will also be unchanged in 2027, SEK 21.12. It is also well known that the S management wanted to avoid an increase even though the administration points to major challenges ahead and a rapidly increasing loan debt.
But it is also in this matter that the Center has long been clear about, that they cannot imagine supporting an increase.
The announcement on Tuesday that S, V and MP form a board and have allocated tasks means that Gothenburg does not touch the tax. Neither does the new S-V-MP government in Stockholm - after two increases during the last term.
When the Left Party is brought into the heat in Malmö and forms a government with S and MP, however, the tax is raised there, by 30 öre. It was mainly V's demand after the last election for an increase then that they were kept out.
But: In Gothenburg, Jonas Attenius points out that the announcement not to touch the tax only applies in 2027.
He is well aware of what his own administration writes in a recent interim report: "The demographic development is simultaneously worsening the municipality's long-term financing possibilities. Overall, this increases the need for long-term choices to maintain good financial management."
During the presentation of the new government, the three parties each made a specific promise:
x S: A maximum ceiling of four children per teacher in preschool must be implemented during the mandate period.
x V: Private company options in home care must be abolished, the so-called LOV.
- We must take back the democratic control, as V's new leader Marie Brynolfsson put it.
x MP: The parking spaces must be removed from Kungstorget in central Gothenburg.
- The sales hall's vendors can move out, we can have cultural events there, outdoor dining and local growers can get a place, said MP's new group leader Klara Holmin.
Jonas Attenius says that all three big cities will now be governed by S, V and MP "of course matters".
- The cities cooperate a lot, we can implement joint policies more easily. But that does not mean that we have planned anything together, he tells DN.
It is 44 days since the election and you already reached your own majority on election night. Has it been difficult to still agree?
- For me, it has been important to invest time in resolving the overall conflict issues. Other boards may have issues left to deal with.
Attenius says that they didn't just talk to each other about the budget for next year.
- We have looked at the entire mandate period and have a cooperation agreement, it has been important for me and for us. it has also been about many positions to be filled and areas of responsibility to be distributed. It takes its time.
Do you have any advice for Magdalena Andersson? Bring in the Left Party or keep them out of the government issue?
- Haha... no, I don't give her any advice.
