Sotiris Delis, a member of the Swedish Parliament from 2014 to 2019 with the center-right Moderate Party, offered his interpretation of the narrow result in favor of the center-left in Sweden’s recent elections. Speaking to Voice of Greece and the program “Our Global Voice” with Dimitris Kontogiannis, he attributed the result to demographic factors. He also did not rule out the possibility of government instability due to defections and differences among the parties in the center-left coalition.
Delis argued that the overwhelming support of recent immigrants from the Middle East and Africa for the left-wing party participating in the Social Democrat-led coalition determined the election result. He linked their vote to Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson’s promises to maintain their benefits.
Asked about the differences between Greek and Swedish political culture in cases of closely contested elections, Delis said they were considerable. As an example, he cited the conduct of some Greek MPs at international forums, where they criticize their own country. According to Delis, a Swedish politician would never do so while abroad, regardless of party affiliation.