SD opens for NATO - "Learn to go home to the voters"

This weekend, the Sweden Democrats gather for an election conference in Stockholm.

For two days, the party will discuss and decide on the election platform ahead of the parliamentary elections in September.

The conference is being held at a time that is strongly influenced by Russia's attack on Ukraine.

A European country has been attacked and a bloody war is going on, while several million people are fleeing the horrors of war.

Russian leaders threaten the outside world with nuclear weapons or direct specific threats against Sweden and Finland.

All this has fundamentally changed the security policy situation and also has a significant impact on the political situation in Sweden.

Swedish politicians have recently made decisions that they have not made before, including sending weapons to Ukraine.

Demands for a referendum are deleted

For the Sweden Democrats, as for several other parliamentary parties, the war means a need to reconsider important parts of politics.

The former opposition to NATO is now buried.

This does 

 that the party unreservedly supports a Swedish NATO membership, but the demand for a referendum is deleted and SD now wants to quickly investigate the NATO issue.

The purpose is to create freedom of action if the situation deteriorates further or if Finland chooses to submit an application to NATO.

This is a significant change in the party's policy in a key area.

Despite this, there was not a particularly extensive debate on the issue when the new party line was discussed at the election conference.

Most of the delegates who stepped up to the rostrum gave their support for the new line.

Only a few demanded rejection of parts of the party leadership's proposal.

"Learn to go home to the voters"

Changing positions on the NATO issue is also likely to go down well with the Sweden Democrats' voters.

According to Novus' surveys, there is a clear majority of SD's sympathizers who want to join NATO.

Should the party in the next step actually say yes to a Swedish application for membership, a majority will arise in the Riksdag for this.

It would put heavy pressure on the Social Democrats, who still say no and continue to advocate freedom of alliance.

But judging by Jimmie Åkesson's statements on Saturday, such a step is not relevant to take right now.

Another issue where the Sweden Democrats are now adapting their policies to a new situation is the refugee issue.

This too is happening under the impression of the war in Ukraine.

Departure from asylum stop

Despite the fact that the party believes that "Sweden is full" and has long demanded a total stop to asylum, it is now prepared to make exceptions for refugees from war-torn Ukraine.

And there may be many refugees, perhaps up to 200,000, according to the Swedish Migration Board's assessment.

The big difference compared to the previous refugee crisis is, according to the Sweden Democrats, that the current crisis is taking place in the immediate area and that Sweden should therefore receive refugees from Ukraine.

Nevertheless, it means a departure in principle from the party's previous demands for a total stop to asylum.

The consensus within the Sweden Democrats, however, seems to be great that Sweden in this situation should receive refugees from Ukraine.

Thus, there is also a broad support among the parliamentary parties that Sweden should provide protection to those fleeing war-torn Ukraine.