SHARE
COPY LINK

POLITICS

Red-green coalition takes power in Gothenburg

The Social Democrats, Green Party and Left Party have managed to oust the right-wing Moderates from power in Gothenburg, despite failing to strike a coalition deal with the Centre Party.

Red-green coalition takes power in Gothenburg
The Green Party's Karin Plejel (MP), the Social Democrat's Jonas Attenius (S) and the Left Party's Daniel Bernmar. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT

The Social Democrats, Left Party and Green Party will now take over the municipality with Jonas Attenius, group leader for the Social Democrats in the city, becoming the new mayor.

“We three parties are ready to together take responsibility for leading Gothenburg,” Attenius wrote to TT. “I am looking forward immensely to leading Gothenburg in the coming years.” 

The three parties will lead a minority government, with 40 out of 81 mandates, meaning it will dependent on mandates from the Centre Party to pass proposals. 

The three parties had hoped to bring the Centre Party into the coalition, but talks fell apart on Monday,  October 24th. 

“We our going into opposition, but our goal is to be an independent, liberal force, which can negotiate both to the left and to the right,” the party’s group leader in Gothenburg, Emmyly Bönfors told the Göteborgs-Posten newspaper. 

The end of talks in Gothenburg leave the Social Democrats leading coalition governments in all three of Sweden’s major cities, with Karin Wanngård appointed Mayor of Stockholm on October 17th. 

The Social Democrats had unbroken control in Malmö since 1994, after they regained power from the Moderates, who controlled the city from 1991-1994, and also from 1985-1988. 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

POLITICS

German chancellor arrives for talks in S. Korea

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in South Korea on Sunday for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol after attending the G7 summit in Hiroshima.

German chancellor arrives for talks in S. Korea

Scholz, the first German chancellor to visit Seoul for a bilateral meeting in 30 years, will travel to the Demilitarised Zone dividing North and South Korea ahead of his summit with Yoon.

The two leaders will hold a joint news conference before Scholz flies out late Sunday night.

The summit agenda will range widely from climate change to security policy in the Indo-Pacific region, with the two leaders also expected to discuss the war in Ukraine, German officials said in a briefing last week.

South Korea, the world’s ninth-largest arms exporter, has sent humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and has also sold tanks and howitzers to Poland.

However, it has a longstanding policy of not providing weapons to active conflict zones.

An official from the German government told reporters the two leaders will discuss Seoul’s plans for providing further assistance to Ukraine.

“We have recently heard from President Yoon — this was also public — that there were certain considerations or a certain easing in this direction,” the official said.

“I do not expect us to press him in this direction, but we will of course listen carefully to what he has to say on this issue.”

Yoon held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima Sunday. That followed a meeting with his wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska, last week.

South Korea’s presidential office said Scholz’s visit will be an “opportunity to strengthen economic security cooperation with Germany, a long-standing ally sharing universal values, and to deepen solidarity and coordination to respond to regional and international issues”.

Scholz praised Seoul for providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine and participating in sanctions against Russia.

He also said in a written interview with South Korea’s Yonhap news agency that it was up to each nation to determine how they would help Ukraine.

In the same interview, Scholz also condemned North Korea’s weapons tests but said it was important to leave a window open for dialogue.

SHOW COMMENTS