'A mistake to commit to a government with Sweden Democrats' episode artwork

EPISODE · May 19, 2026 · 3 MIN

'A mistake to commit to a government with Sweden Democrats'

from Sweden in Focus

The repercussions of the Sweden Democrats' decision to defy Swedish parliamentary convention to get new citizenship rules passed without transitional rules are continuing to be felt.But what are the long-term consequences of the Sweden Democrats' willingness to break the rules governing Swedish politics? And could there be a price for Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's moderate party?Moderate veteran Mikael Odenberg, a former defence minister and former group leader for the party in parliament, thinks there could. In this interview with Richard Orange, he explains why.READ ALSO:Former defence minister accuses Sweden Democrats of 'sabotaging' citizenship voteGet Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcastsSweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+For new members: Get Membership+ Read more about Membership+ in our help centre. Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The repercussions of the Sweden Democrats' decision to defy Swedish parliamentary convention to get new citizenship rules passed without transitional rules are continuing to be felt.But what are the long-term consequences of the Sweden Democrats' willingness to break the rules governing Swedish politics? And could there be a price for Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's moderate party?Moderate veteran Mikael Odenberg, a former defence minister and former group leader for the party in parliament, thinks there could. In this interview with Richard Orange, he explains why.READ ALSO:Former defence minister accuses Sweden Democrats of 'sabotaging' citizenship voteGet Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcastsSweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+For new members: Get Membership+ Read more about Membership+ in our help centre. Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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'A mistake to commit to a government with Sweden Democrats'

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This episode is 3 minutes long.

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This episode was published on May 19, 2026.

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The repercussions of the Sweden Democrats' decision to defy Swedish parliamentary convention to get new citizenship rules passed without transitional rules are continuing to be felt.But what are the long-term consequences of the Sweden Democrats'...

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