Centre Party (Sweden)

History

The party was founded in 1913 as the Farmers' League (Bondeförbundet, B). In 1921, it merged with the National Agrarian Union. It adopted the name Centre Party in 1958. It was a coalition partner of the centre-left Swedish Social Democratic Party between 1936 and 1945 as well as between 1951 and 1957. However, it later revised this strategy in order to establish a closer long-term alliance between the centre-right borgerlig ("bourgeois" or "non-socialist") parties that achieved power between 1976 and 1982, 1991 and 1994, as well as between 2006 and 2014.

Centre Party leader Axel Pehrsson served as prime minister of Sweden for three months in 1936. The party held the prime minister post a second time with Thorbjörn Fälldin who served as prime minister from 1976 until 1982, except for a short interregnum between 1978 and 1979 led by People's Party leader Ola Ullsten. Following the 1991 general election, the Centre Party joined another centre-right government, led by Moderate Party leader Carl Bildt. During the leaderships of Maud Olofsson and Annie Lööf in the 2000s, the party positioned itself clearly on the political right as a small-business-friendly party, advocating market liberal policies and viewing the Social Democrats as its main opponent. Between 2006 and 2014, it was a member of the centre-right Reinfeldt cabinet. It provided confidence and supply for the Social Democratic led Löfven II cabinet between 2019 and 2021. Since 2022, it is in opposition against the right-wing Kristersson cabinet because of the cabinet's collaboration with the nationalist Sweden Democrats.

In 2005, the Centre Party sold the newspaper group it owned, Centertidningar AB, for 1.8 billion SEK, which made it the richest political party in the world at the time.

Ideology and political position

The Centre Party sits on the centre to centre-right, even right-wing, of the political spectrum. The party has also described as economically and socially liberal, and "ecological-liberal". It describes itself as a green-liberal party, while it has been traditionally associated with agrarianism and the Nordic agrarian party family.

National economy

The party has been described as one of Sweden's most market liberal parties in liberal, socialist and conservative media. It describes itself as "a party with a green, social and decentralised liberalism". The party advocates lower taxes, greatly reduced employer contributions, a freer market and an increased RUT-deduction. The party is a major supporter of the interests of small businesses, farmers and entrepreneurs. It also favours investments in infrastructure and transportation, to allow employees to work in bigger cities but still live in the rural areas and vice versa. On economic policy, it views the Social Democrats and the Sweden Democrats as its opponents, though it supported a government led by the Social Democrats till 2022.

Immigration

The party is liberal on immigration, seeking to combine a generous immigration policy with an initially more restrictive contribution policy to the immigrants. After the European migrant crisis, the party proposed to replace the existing establishment grants with establishment loans, similar to the Swedish student loans.

The balance of the state responsibility of accepting refugees with their responsibility for integration into Swedish society is at the core of the party policy. In January 2016, the party for example proposed to give all immigrants compulsory civic education in both rights and expectations from the society.

European Union

The party is a decentralist pro-European party that considers the European Union important for the preservation of peace, freedom and trade in Europe. The party also advocates a smaller but sharper European Union focused on promoting democracy, peace, free movement, free trade, vigorous action against climate change and collaboration against organized crime, while also believing that Sweden should stay outside the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union and keep the krona as its currency.

The party is a member of the ALDE Party and its affiliated European Parliament group Renew Europe. In the European Committee of the Regions, the Centre Party sits with the Renew Europe CoR group with one full and one alternate member for the 2025-2030 mandate.

Publications

The Centre Party owned a media consortium called Centertidningar AB. It included newspapers that the party had either started on their own or brought from competitors. It included Hallands Nyheter, Södermanlands Nyheter, Länstidningen i Södertälje, Nynäshamns Posten, Norrtelje Tidning, Lidingö Tidning, Ljusdalsposten, Östersunds-Posten, Hälsingekuriren and Hudiksvalls Tidning. The consortium was split in 2005 and sold to Mittmedia, Stampen Group and VLT for a total of 1.815 billion Swedish kronor.

Voter base

Traditionally, most of the party's voters come from rural areas and include farmers and agricultural producers. Since the takeover of Maud Olofsson in recent years, the party has been attracting liberal voters from urban areas in central Sweden. It is believed that voters from the Liberals have been moving to the Centre Party due to changes in both parties.

Leaders of the Centre Party

The Leader of the Centre Party is its highest political and organisational officer, its president in the National Executive Board and representative of the party in the media, in public and with other parties. The party leader has often held an important cabinet portfolio when the party has been part of a coalition.

Current Members of the Swedish Parliament

Current Members of the Swedish Parliament:

Daniel Bäckström, parliamentary leader, spokesperson for rural affairs, member for Värmland

Ulrika Heie, first deputy parliamentary leader and spokesperson for infrastructure policy, member for Västra Götalands läns östra

Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, second deputy parliamentary leader, spokesperson for enterprise, member for Stockholms stad

Anders W. Jonsson, spokesperson för healthcare policy, member for Gävleborg

Alireza Akhondi, spokesperson for housing, member for Stockholms län

Anders Karlsson, member for Jönköpings län

Anders Ådahl, spokesperson for science and higher education, member for Västra götalands läns västra

Anna Lasses, spokesperson for international aid, member for Stockholms län

Anne-Li Sjölund, spokesperson for sports, member for Västernorrland

Catarina Deremar, spokesperson for culture, member for Uppsala län

Christofer Bergenblock, spokesperson for elderly care and disability rights, member for Halland

Helena Lindahl, spokesperson for taxation, member for Västerbotten

Helena Vilhelmsson, spokesperson for gender equality, member for Örebro län

Jonny Cato, spokesperson for employment, member for Skåne läns västra

Kerstin Lundgren, third deputy speaker of the Riksdag, spokesperson for foreign policy, member for Stockholms län

Malin Björk, spokesperson for constitutional affairs, member for Stockholms stad

Martin Ådahl, spokesperson for economic policy, member for Stockholms stad

Martina Johansson, spokesperson for social security, member for Södermanland

Mikael Larsson, spokesperson for defence, member for Västra Götalands läns södra

Muharrem Demirok, member for Östergötland

Niels Paarup-Petersen, spokesperson for education policy, member for Malmö

Rickard Nordin, spokesperson for energy and climate policy, member for Gothenburg

Stina Larsson, spokesperson for environmental policy, member for Skåne läns södra

Ulrika Liljeberg, spokesperson for legal policy, member for Dalarna

Substitutes:

Mona Smedman (January - May 2024), for Daniel Bäckström

Emelie Nyman (January - June 2024), for Niels Paarup-Petersen

Party leadership

The current party leadership includes:

Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, chairperson of the Centre Party

Rickard Nordin, deputy chairperson of the Centre Party

Daniel Bäckström, parliamentary leader and spokesperson for rural policy

Ulrika Liljeberg, member of parliament and spokesperson for legal policy

Martin Ådahl, member of parliament and spokesperson for economic policy

Madelaine Jacobsson, mayor of the Nordmaling Municipality

Karin Ernlund, Secretary-General of the Centre Party