Government agreement in Sweden, with the support of the far right

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – The leader of the Moderates party, Ulf Kristersson, said on Friday he had reached an agreement for a minority coalition government in Sweden with the Christian Democrats and the Liberals, which will be backed by the far right.

Right-wing parties won a slim majority of 176 out of 349 seats in last month’s parliamentary elections and Ulf Kristersson, whose Conservative party was best placed, has since worked to form a government.

The Democrats of Sweden, a nationalist and anti-immigration party, have agreed to support the government without entering it and will be able to influence the country’s policy, a first in the history of Sweden.

The new government will submit to a vote of confidence in parliament on Monday, its president, Andreas Norlen, said during a press conference.

Ulf Kristersson told the press that the election result made change “not only necessary, but also possible”.

The new government intends in particular to reduce taxes and launch the construction of nuclear power plants.

The Democrats of Sweden intend for their part to push their anti-immigration agenda by proposing to limit the right to asylum and family reunification or even to expel criminals of foreign origin.

(Report by Anna Ringstrom and Simon Johnson, French version Tangi Salaün, edited by Kate Entringer)