Below we publish two reports from socialist election campaigns in two cities in the Swedish elections held on 13 September
internationalsocialist.net
“We defended our seats in Luleå and built the party”
Even the day before polling day, Socialistiskt Alternativ (SAV) campaign activists in Luleå could see that the election campaign had been a great success, with many new members and tens of thousands of people reached and welcoming a socialist programme for Luleå council. When the election results then came in, and it turned out that SAV had retained its two seats, despite a clear right-wing trend in Luleå and throughout Norrbotten region, the joy was immense.
By Jonas Brännberg // Article in Offensiv
Socialistiskt Alternativ presented its programme in a twelve-page local election manifesto, something no other party managed to do. The manifesto set out concrete proposals on a range of issues, including climate and culture, but focused primarily on hiring 500 more staff in schools and care services, reducing rents, and the need to mobilise in the fight against the government’s racism and deportations.
During the campaign, it became clear that these issues resonated with the sentiments of workers and young people, particularly the issues of care for the elderly and the fight against deportations. Thousands signed the petitions calling for 250 more staff in elderly care, in order to increase core staffing levels, improve shift patterns and introduce a six-hour working day with no loss of pay. It was interesting to note that many young people also considered this demand important, either because they themselves work in the care sector or simply because they recognised the need for a good welfare system for all.
Among many immigrants, SAV was seen as a beacon of light in an otherwise bleak election campaign – both thanks to our clear message about the fight against racism, but also because we have consistently, and for many years, stood up against racism, deportations, imperialist wars and genocide.
As socialists, SAV’s campaign activists constantly highlighted struggle as the means by which real change can be achieved. When the election promises were flying thick and fast, SAV’s message was: “We promise nothing except to fight, and you need to be part of it to bring about the change that is needed.”
Our election manifesto highlighted several victories in which SAV had played a key role, such as the school campaign that halted school closures. But the election campaign itself was also about organising protests. When Luleå Council awarded a grant of 750,000 kronor to the Splash festival – which charged an entry fee of 2,200 kronor for two days – that booked a racist band and had an extremely gender-biased line-up, Socialistiskt Alternativ organised protests. We put forward our proposal that culture must be accessible to all and that cultural workers, through a cultural council, must have a much greater say regarding Luleå council’s cultural initiatives. We also organised a protest outside the city council meeting at the end of August to ramp up the pressure regarding our demands for more staff in elderly care and against widening inequalities.
As usual, socialists are more or less completely boycotted by the media, but thanks to dedicated campaigners, we were able to make up for this through thousands of conversations with the people of Luleå. Every day, our members stood outside supermarkets and in local community centres in the afternoons, before gathering again for two hours of door-to-door canvassing every evening.
Unlike all the other parties, we sold our election manifesto – despite this, we distributed over two thousand copies and raised several tens of thousands of kronor, which went some way towards covering the costs of the election campaign. During the course of the election campaign, we were also able to strengthen our efforts with new activists whom we had met whilst campaigning and who wanted to help out – and in many cases even became members.
For socialists, however, elections are never straightforward. The right-wing parties have hundreds of millions of kronor at their disposal, plus total dominance in the media; in this election, this was exemplified by the Liberals managing to clear the parliamentary threshold despite being a party that hardly anyone favours. In Norrbotten and Luleå, moreover, the major industrial investments of recent years have led to low unemployment, higher wages and increased faith in the viability of the capitalist system, which has benefited the Moderates in the short term. In Luleå, this led to the Moderates making significant gains whilst the Left Party suffered a major setback.
The fact that Socialistiskt Alternativ, in this situation – and with a new name that emphasised socialism even more clearly – held its ground is a sign of strength and demonstrates what is possible. For the next four years, Socialistiskt Alternativ’s position on Luleå City Council will serve as an important platform for the struggle against all forms of right-wing politics, regardless of where it comes from.
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Stockholm’s Left Alliance: a necessary breath of fresh air
The Stockholm Left Alliance (SVA) ran one of the most high-profile election campaigns in Stockholm. It wasn’t enough to secure a seat on the city council. But the radical electoral alliance between three left-wing parties was a breath of fresh air in an election that was largely a choice between blue-brown racism and red-green cuts.
By Mattias Bernhardsson // Article in Offensiv
Just six months before election day, three parties joined forces to form a joint electoral alternative in the Stockholm municipal elections: the Stockholm Left Alliance. Socialistiskt Alternativ, Feminists (F!) and the Left of the Future united behind a bold idea to challenge the established ‘red-green’ parties – which, at national level, had capitulated politically on one issue after another and, in Stockholm, had participated in the cuts imposed by the ‘red-green’ administration. Under the slogan “Out with the careerists, in with the activists!”, the Stockholm Left Alliance sought to begin building a new and militant left – a task that continues.
Hundreds of discussions with people on the streets and in public squares have been incredibly significant and instructive.
For my part, I’ve taken away many insights from the conversations I’ve had during the election campaign:
“Are you to the left of the left? That’s exactly what I’ve been looking for!”
“I never thought I’d hear about three left-wing parties joining forces – how brilliant!”
“It’s heartening that you’re raising the issue of ownership – collective and democratic ownership.”
“You’re absolutely right! But I’ll probably still vote for the Left Party or the Greens anyway. Keep up the fight!”
Many voters welcomed the SVA’s proposal to make Stockholm a “resistance municipality”: to refuse to implement the government’s racist policies (such as alerting the police about refugees or the withdrawal of social assistance for undocumented migrants). We also found a great deal of support for stopping school closures (the red-green administration has already closed, or is in the process of closing, four primary schools and 116 nurseries) – arguing that smaller cohorts of pupils should lead to smaller class sizes instead. We were the only party to call for rent reductions (rents in Stockholm have risen by 25 per cent since 2020), for social housing to serve the public interest once again, and for privatised housing to be returned to public ownership.
We received just as much support for the idea of opening non-profit municipal food shops to challenge the high prices charged by food giants – which contribute to widening class divides. And also for our demands to preserve Stockholm’s green spaces and forests that the council wants to exploit – such as Nytorpsgärdet, Järvafältet or Bagisskogen – and instead convert all the thousands of empty office spaces into affordable council rental flats. The Stockholm Left Alliance wants to change the planning process so that it becomes both democratic and more effective: a ‘reverse planning process’, which means starting with public consultation and allowing residents to be involved in deciding on locations.
But the biggest difference in the election campaign was that the SVA spoke of the need to build movements, of resistance and of organising from the grassroots up; that the struggle for housing, the anti-racism movement, the asylum and environmental movements, as well as the key issues facing pupils, low-wage earners and local authority staff, should have a place in the City Hall.
Every day we came across voters who agreed that the Social Democrats (S), the Left Party (V) and the Greens (MP) had failed in almost every area (giving up opposition to NATO, or refusing to reverse the cuts to asylum rights). These people gave their administration in Stockholm a failing grade: widening class divides, rising rents, school closures, the destruction of green spaces and the discharge of nearly 100 million litres of untreated sewage into the Baltic Sea, to name but a few. But there was also a genuine fear of the alternative: that the right-wing coalition would win and take over City Hall. Rarely have I received so much support and encouragement from people who didn’t vote for us.
During the first weeks of the election campaign, the Stockholm Left Alliance was almost the only group visible across the city’s working-class suburbs. It was particularly great that we were able to organise bike repair sessions in various neighbourhoods on Sundays, where people could get election information whilst having their bikes repaired – not to mention the anti-racist speaking tour. Even when the major parties’ election machines got into full swing in September, the SVA remained among the most active in many areas.
In parts of working-class areas in Husby, Kista and Bagarmossen, the SVA secured three per cent of the vote, and in parts of Skarpnäck, four per cent. Had that been the result for the whole of Stockholm, we would have been elected to the City Hall. But Stockholm is a big city and very difficult for new, alternative parties to break into.
Despite negligible media coverage (compared with the far-right challenger parties, such as the neo-nazi Örebro Party), the Stockholm Left Alliance still secured 2,411 votes (in the preliminary count; the final result will be higher). “These votes are an immensely valuable source of support for our most important election pledge – to work together with voters and supporters to initiate grassroots protest movements and make Stockholm a municipality of resistance against racism and class divisions, and in favour of climate justice and welfare,” wrote the SVA in its post-election statement. The statement continues with a note of hope: “…where we have our roots, in Stockholm’s poorer and more left-leaning working-class suburbs, our campaign has made an impact and the idea that a force to the left of the Left Party is needed has gained support”.