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Swedish MPs enjoy election income boost

TT/The Local
TT/The Local - [email protected]
Swedish MPs enjoy election income boost
Melker Dahlstrand/Riksdag (File); Emil Frisk (File)

More than four of five new Swedish members of parliament have earned an increase in their annual income following their election to the Riksdag after the September general election.

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A third of the new MPs have managed to more than double their income, according to a review by the Dagens Industri daily.

100 of 123 new parliamentarians have boosted their income by claiming their 56,000 kronor ($8,391) monthly salary.

Several MPs have joined the parliament directly from school or university and thereby dramatically increased their incomes.

Anton Abele, who last month became the youngest ever Swedish MP at the age of 18, is one of those enjoying the income windfall but explained to the newspaper that he pursued a political career for reasons other than money.

"The money has never been the motivation for me. I have worked on a voluntary basis for the past three years and put in a lot of hours for something that drives me. This is a continuation of that," Abele told the newspaper.

While Swedish parliamentary salaries are modest by international standards, some MPs, notably the Green Party's Gustaf Fridolin, argue that the salaries should be cut to prevent an erosion of confidence in politicians.

"It creates a feeling that they live in another reality than that in which oneself comes from," he told the TT news agency.

A salary of 46,000 kronor would still come in above the Swedish average salary and far higher than the sum earned by many voters. Fridolin however argued that the change would be a step towards addressing the situation and boost faith in politicians.

"It would be a clear statement that the problem has been noted and that you want to do something about it.

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