What happened
Dagens Nyheter's editorial board writes that the Sweden Democrats' announcement that the party can tolerate a government without its own ministers does not open the door to the Centre Party. According to DN, Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson wants to assemble a centre-right government, but lacks a majority of his own without support from other parties.
The newspaper's editorial points out that the Centre Party and the Sweden Democrats stand too far apart in their views on, among other things, migration and labor immigration. DN also highlights that the anti-immigration right-wing party has discussed tearing up permanent residence permits and citizenships.
Our analysis
In the corridors of the Riksdag, everything is about seats and the parliamentary basis for government. For old Swedes in the party leaderships, the question is who gets to ride in the ministerial car. For new Swedes, the same negotiations are about the right to a secure life.
It makes no difference whether a populist, anti-immigration party sits in the government or governs from an adjacent cooperation room. The policy remains the same. When established parties negotiate for support, fundamental rights are turned into simple compromises.
The question no party leader is asking is what this normalization costs the country. When threats of revoked permits and revised citizenships become currency in a government game, trust across society is damaged. That damage does not disappear just because a ministerial post changes hands.
Explained
A parliamentary basis of government refers to the parties in the Riksdag that vote in favor of or tolerate a government so that it can govern the country.