The government receives poor marks in opinion polls that have been presented recently.

According to DN/Ipsos, more than one in two voters believe that the government has not lived up to its election promises.

According to a Sifo survey published by Expressen, almost six out of ten voters think that the government is doing a bad job.

The voter barometers presented recently give a similar picture.

The government side is backing down and the Social Democrats are moving forward.

This expression of dissatisfaction among many voters is likely largely due to the fact that the government has not yet delivered on its election promises of lower fuel prices and high-cost protection for electricity customers.

Here, the government is also subject to more or less constant criticism from the opposition in the Riksdag.

Try to regain the political initiative

Tuesday's announcement about anonymous witnesses and visitation zones is certainly expected, but the press conference in which all party leaders in the government documents participated must also be seen as an attempt by the government to regain the political initiative.

In matters relating to crime and law enforcement, the Moderates and the Sweden Democrats in particular have great confidence in broad voter groups.

The government thus has every interest in trying to shift the focus of the domestic policy debate to these issues.

This is also where the government has the most pressure to deliver.

Energy and fuel prices were certainly important issues in the election campaign, but the decisive issue for Kristersson's government is and remains the promise to crack down on serious crime.

In the next election, it is above all these issues that Kristersson's government will be evaluated.

There are therefore strong reasons, both short-term and long-term, for Kristersson's government to act on central issues surrounding law and order.

No quick changes

The starting situation is anything but favorable.

This year, Sweden has set a new grim record in fatal shootings, 60 people have been shot dead so far and in Södertälje as many are shot as in London, the government stated at Tuesday's press conference.

Before the election, not least Ulf Kristersson made statements that were interpreted as suggesting that there would be rapid changes in the fight against serious crime.

The previous government was repeatedly criticized for not acting quickly enough.

However, the announcements made at Tuesday's press conference do not mean any quick changes.

The investigation into anonymous witnesses should be completed in October 2023 and it is unclear when a new law may be in place.

The investigation into visitation zones must be reported in January 2024. Here, too, it is unclear when a new law may come into force.

From this, it can be concluded that these changes to the law can enter into force in 2024 or 2025 at the earliest.

Important election promises

In the meantime, there is a great risk that the shootings will continue much like today, the government believes.

The opposition will use it to question the government's policy and promises in the area of ​​law.

Another question is also how effective these tools can be for the police.

Both visitation zones and anonymous witnesses have previously been questioned by experts.

At the same time, these were important election promises by the new government.

It is therefore expected that the government will now take the first steps to implement them.