Tomas Ramberg: Humiliated center party bigger problem for Andersson

Center leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist has her back against the wall in the government issue. The index finger of the public debate is now almost unequivocally pointed at her. The center management is forced time and time again to try to explain its position to increasingly gullible interviewers.

It was indeed the Center that last Friday called V, S and MP to a first meeting between the four who stand behind Magdalena Andersson. But – explained the center management after the meeting – this does not mean that they accepted V as part of a government document. Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist still prefers other possible government tracks - tracks like "we have to pull the plug." Party colleague Martin Ådahl also claimed that "there are still many different conceivable government documents".

The key word here is "possible". That is, conceivable for C - the parties C thinks about think completely differently themselves.

That was clear when Magdalena Andersson submitted her report to the Speaker on Tuesday. One of the Centre's "possible" parties - Simona Mohamsson's Liberals - has not even found time to meet Magdalena Andersson during her probe mission.

C and L obviously do not share a picture of reality. The center stands alone.

Therefore, the Centre's statements should probably not be taken too literally - as if the party actually believes that other parties will allow themselves to be persuaded to switch sides and form a central government under a social democratic prime minister. A more reasonable interpretation is that Thand Ringqvist needs time to show his party people that all roads that do not include the Left Party are really closed. Or has been "pulled to the bottom" as she says.

The left party snorts impatiently in the government van. Nooshi Dadgostar wants Magdalena Andersson to publicly take the Center in the ear and pressure Thand Ringqvist to start negotiating a joint government program. Andersson will not do that.

Nurturing the Centre's post-election anxiety is an important interest for the Social Democrats. For Magdalena Andersson, a close connection to the Center is needed. She does not want four years of recurring government crises and negotiations, and a stable government requires a stable Centre. Humiliating the party would create a conflict - and lead to the cooperation with the Social Democrats being constantly questioned.

The center needs a long time and perhaps another prime ministerial vote to find an agreement with the other red-greens. The blame for there not being a centrist government must first be placed on the other parties who - it will be called - despite the Centre's persistent fight, refused to take responsibility for a government without extreme parties.

Of course, a large political dividend is also required for the Center - even if the government contains left-wing ministers, Thand Ringqvist must be able to claim that the center of gravity of politics is in the middle. Probably also few write-ups that Sweden's line on heavy areas such as defence, foreign and security policy is fixed.

On Tuesday, Magdalena Andersson did not seem to be in a particular hurry. If a month's longer government formation can make the Center voluntarily leave its trenches from the election campaign, she can live with that.