Socialistiskt Alternativ (ISA Sweden) has successfully defended both seats on Luleå City Council in the recent Swedish election. This is an important victory in a small but important foothold for Marxism and revolutionary socialism in the country.
We ran an intense six-week long election campaign with all-day activities. Members came straight from work and school to participate in door-to-door canvassing and campaign stalls in different neighborhoods—our election campaign was a true team effort!
Our party doesn’t receive hundreds of millions in state funding, unlike the mainstream pro-capitalist parties. Our campaign was based on the support of working-class people for our fight for welfare and against inequality, racism, and deportations. This support is based on our long record of organising struggles and our party being completely different to the establishment parties. During the campaign we sold or distributed thousands of campaign pamphlets. and we received tens of thousands of kronor in donations.
For revolutionary socialists, elections are a chance to raise the profile of a socialist programme and to mobilise working-class and young people beyond the ballot box. The campaign organised a rally to demand investment in elderly care, marched as part of the local Pride demo, protested against state racism and deportations, and put forward a pro-worker alternative budget for the city council.
This election success is all the more important while establishment parties are moving rightward, putting out propaganda for militarism, deportations and “law and order” repression. In Luleå and the north this trend was stronger. However, our campaign won supporters and new members from those resisting racism and right-wing policies.
With imperialist war, climate change, and economic crisis knocking at the door, a fighting socialist alternative is more necessary than ever. We need to build a movement for revolutionary change, for a socialist society based on democratic planning in the interests of people and the planet—not profits for the super-rich!
International Socialist Alternative is fighting to build such a force in Sweden and around the world. Join us!