The Centre Party (Swedish: Centerpartiet [ˈsɛ̂nːtɛrpaˌʈiːɛt] , C) is a liberal political party in Sweden, founded in 1913. The party focuses on the national economy, the environment, political decentralisation and social integration. It is represented in all of the Riksdag's parliamentary committees, currently holding 25 seats.
Traditionally part of the Nordic agrarian family of political parties, the Centre Party has increasingly switched focus towards economic liberalism, environmental protection, equality of the sexes and decentralisation of governmental authority. The party describes itself as liberal feminist, campaigning for policies which enhance gender equality on an individualist basis. Its environmental policies stress the importance of consent and voluntary action, including working with foresters and private landowners to promote biodiversity within a mutually agreeable framework.
The Centre Party has produced two prime ministers of Sweden: Axel Pehrsson who held the prime minister post for three months in 1936 and Thorbjörn Fälldin who held the post for a total of five years, from 1976 to 1978 and then again from 1979 to 1982. It is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, the Liberal International and Renew Europe. It was originally named the Farmers' League (Swedish: Bondeförbundet [ˈbʊ̂nːdɛfœrˌbɵndɛt] ; B).
Contents
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.
Election results
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
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