Former EU commissioner quits Swedish Liberals over far-right complacency

Former Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström left the Swedish Liberal Party on Wednesday as the party has been constantly criticised in Brussels and Stockholm for its complacency with the far-right populistic Sweden Democrats.

Malmström served as EU Trade Commissioner from 2014 to 2019, where she namely led negotiations on several key trade agreements, including the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement and the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Malmström’s departure, while lacking a precise explanation from the former commissioner, marks the departure of yet another political heavyweight from the Liberal Party since the general elections in September.

In the wake of these elections, the Liberals, together with the centre-right Moderates and Christian Democrats entered a ruling coalition, supported by the eurosceptic Sweden Democrats (SD), who are de facto the second biggest party in Sweden. The SD offers necessary support to the centre-right coalition in exchange for the implementation of their politics, namely on migration.

However, since the Liberals finally broke off cooperation negotiations with the far-right Sweden Democrats and instead opened up to cooperation with SD, several heavyweights have left the party, with Malmström being the latest.

Former party leader Bengt Westerberg is one of them. He announced last year that he would no longer support the Liberals and would instead vote for the Centre Party, another liberal party member of Renew Europe.

Former EU minister Birgitta Ohlsson, very popular in more social liberal circles, has also said she no longer votes for the Liberals.

The resignation is a hard blow for Liberal party leader Johan Pehrson, who is struggling with weak opinion polls and constant accusations from the left that he has sold his party’s soul to the Sweden Democrats, whose views on many issues such as the EU, migration or integration clash with the traditional Liberals’ values.

“Cecilia Malmström has made significant contributions to our party over the years. Not least in her role as a liberal minister, commissioner and parliamentarian in the European Parliament. It is, of course, very sad that Cecilia has chosen to leave the Liberals, but I respect her decision and am convinced that our paths will cross in other contexts,” wrote Gulan Avci, the Liberal Party’s secretary.

The news of Malmström’s decision provoked strong reactions from political opponents.

“Now Cecilia Malmström seems to have had enough of the Liberals’ kneeling before SD. That honours her. But what conclusions does the Liberal Party leadership draw?” asked Social Democrat Morgan Johansson on Twitter.

So far, the stability of the ruling coalition has not been officially questioned by the Liberals. Still, EURACTIV understands that if the Liberals would leave the coalition due to a change in leadership, Sweden would experience a major political crisis.

It could trigger a vote of no confidence in the government, in which case Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson would have to form a new coalition with other parties or call for a new election.

(Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)