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Swedish government withdraws bid to scrap rent controls on newbuilds

The government has retracted a proposal to change Sweden’s rental laws, after the bid sparked a historic, albeit brief, ousting of centre-left Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.

Published: 15 July 2021 15:53 CEST
Swedish government withdraws bid to scrap rent controls on newbuilds
Stefan Löfven returned as prime minister last week. Photo: Christine Olsson/TT

Justice Minister Morgan Johansson told Swedish news agency TT on Thursday that the government’s consultation document had been withdrawn because the joint proposal to scrap rent controls on certain newbuilds in Sweden would no longer be going ahead.

The proposal – which had been pushed through by the Social Democrat-Green coalition government’s partners in parliament, the Liberals and the Centre Party – sparked a row with the Left Party last month which eventually led to a no-confidence vote against Löfven.

After Löfven became the first prime minister in Swedish history to lose such a vote, the Centre Party dropped the demand in order to try to placate the Left Party and avoid the threat of a snap election.

Meanwhile, the Liberals acted on a previous pledge not to support Löfven past his term as prime minister, and abandoned their collaboration with the government, which eventually prompted the Centre Party to do the same.

Löfven himself was voted back in as prime minister on July 7th, just a couple of weeks later, after the conservative opposition failed to mount a viable challenge. But the breakdown of the deal with the Centre Party and Liberals means that the Social Democrats no longer have to introduce new rental laws which the party does not support, so they are now off the table – at least until the next general election in 2022.

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POLITICS

Over a thousand people join protest against Stockholm attack

Over a thousand people joined a demonstration in Gubbängen, southern Stockholm, on Saturday, protesting Wednesday's attack by far-right extremists on a lecture organised by the Left and Green parties.

Published: 27 April 2024 15:36 CEST
Over a thousand people join protest against Stockholm attack

The demonstration, which was organised by the Left Party and the Green Party together with Expo, an anti-extremist magazine, was held outside the Moment theatre, where masked assailants attacked a lecture organised by the two parties on Wednesday. 

In the attack, the assailants – described as Nazis by Expo – let off smoke grenades and assaulted several people, three of whom were hospitalised. 

“Let’s say it how it is: this was a terror attack and that is something we can never accept,” said Amanda Lind, who is expected to be voted in as the joint leader of the Green Party on Sunday. 

She said that those who had attended the lecture had hoped to swap ideas about how to combat racism. 

“Instead they had to experience smoke bombs, assault and were forced to think ‘have they got weapons’?. The goal of this attack was to use violence to generate fear and silence people,” she said.  

EXPLAINED: What we know about the attack on a Swedish anti-fascist meeting

More than a thousand people gathered to protest the attack on a theatre in Gubbängen, Stockholm. Photo: Oscar Olsson/TT

Nooshi Dadgostar, leader of the Left Party, said that that society needed to stand up against this type of extreme-right violence. 

“We’re here today to show that which should be obvious: we will not give up, we will stand up for ourselves, and we shall never be silenced by racist violence,” said said.

Sofia Zwahlen, one of the protesters at the demonstration, told the DN newspaper that it felt positive that so many had turned up to show their opposition to the attacks. 

“It feels extremely good that there’s been this reaction, that we are coming together. I’m always a little worried about going to this sort of demonstration. But this feels safe.”

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