Citizens' Coalition

Citizens' Coalition Medborgerlig Samling
Abbreviation	MED
Chairman	Daniel Sonesson
Secretary	Monika Råberg Hellsing[1]
Founded	2014 (2014)
Membership (2022)	4,000 [2]
Ideology	Libertarian conservatism Liberal conservatism[3] Green conservatism Economic liberalism[4] Anti-immigration Euroscepticism[5]
Political position	Right-wing
Colours	Blue Green
Riksdag	0 / 349
European Parliament	0 / 20
County councils	0 / 1,597
Municipal councils	11 / 12,780
Website
medborgerligsamling.se
Politics of Sweden Political parties Elections

Historical membership in 1-year intervals, 2017–Present

Year	Pop.	±%
2017	1,000	—
2018	1,800	+80.0%
source[6][7]		—

Citizens' Coalition (Swedish: Medborgerlig Samling, MED), officially known as Bourgeois Future (Swedish: Borgerlig Framtid, BF)^[8] until 2017, is a right-wing^[9][10] political party in Sweden that was founded in 2014. The party considers itself liberal-conservative and green conservative,^[11][12] while observers described it as a right-wing party critical of immigration^[13] and conservative.^[14]

Citizens' Coalition received 0,18 % of the vote in the 2022 Swedish general election, making it the third largest party with no seats in the Riksdag, behind the Nuance Party and Alternative for Sweden.^[15] The party received 0.15% of the votes in the EU parliament election 2019.^[16] As of the 2018 Swedish municipal elections, the party holds four seats in municipal assemblies; two in Laholm^[17] and one each in Höör,^[18] and Torsås.^[19][20]

History

The party was founded in 2014, initially as Borgerlig Framtid (Bourgeois Future) by the cook and nutrition consultant Patrik Evaeus, accountant Tomas Evaeus and journalist Anders Königsson.^[21] The party name was later changed to Medborgerlig Samling (Citizens' Coalition), abbreviated as MED, at an extra general meeting during the fall of 2016. The name change was prompted by a falling out between Königsson, then party leader, and the party's board, leading to Königsson leaving the party to set up a new party, re-using the party name Borgerlig Framtid.^[22][23][24] At the same general meeting, Ilan Sadé was elected new chairman and party leader.

The party name Medborgerlig Samling was first registered with the Swedish Election Authority,^[25] in 2017.

The party had, in the 2018 Swedish general election, won four seats in municipal councils in Sweden: two in Laholm and one each in Höör, and Torsås. However, in the aftermath of the 2022 Swedish general election, Citizens' Coalition lost its seat in Torsås,^[26] but gained a seat in Höör^[27] and won two more seats in Laholm.^[28] The party did also win five new seats in three other municipalities: Karlshamn and Järfälla, where they gained two seats in each municipality,^[29][30] and Österåker, one seat.^[31]

Ideology and political positions

Citizens' Coalition declares itself to be a liberal-conservative political party and favors a liberal economic policy as well as a conservative view of society and culture.^[32]

The party policy includes a liberal financial policy, a strengthened emphasis on the individual's own responsibilities, as well as rights, and it has a conservative view on society and culture. The party promotes stronger national defense, including seeking NATO membership, added resources to the police and justice system and expanded individual rights to self defence; including a stand your ground law.^[33] The party also wants to manage Sweden's Nordic model welfare system by greatly reducing asylum and refugee immigration, calling for the stronger integration of immigrants, abolishing state taxes on income and raising the standard tax deduction to SEK 100 000 per year.^[34][35][36]

During the 2019 European parliament election, Citizens' Coalition pushed their vision of a drastically smaller EU limited to trade, environmental regulation and security with less EU political interference over member states.^[37] Since 2018 the party has repeatedly highlighted the need for focus on the core services of the government, and pushing for a drastically smaller government and democratic renewal – in particular removing party subsidies and increased personal responsibility for politicians and government employees. At a party meeting in November 2020, a motion was adopted to oppose the Next Generation EU recovery fund and that the party will demand a referendum on EU membership in 2023 should no exceptions be made for Sweden by Brussels regarding the fund.^[38]

The party is in favor of granting more power to the Swedish monarchy; favoring a system similar to the monarchies of Denmark and the United Kingdom. Notably, the monarch serving a ceremonial role during a change of government.^[39]

Controversies

Stockholm Pride ban

MED was banned from participating in the Stockholm Pride festival in 2018, with festival officials citing several reasons, among them a perceived "obvious difference" in the festival's and the party's views on transgender people. Officials pointed to hateful messages on the festival's social media pages, the party's lack of specific LGBT politics and an article written by Sadé they say is evidence of transphobic politics.^[40] Sadé, who is openly homosexual, denies the allegations made by Pride and stated that the exclusion was rather because Pride had been allegedly hijacked by "the Left's identity politics."^[41]

Election results

Riksdag

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/−	Government
2018	13,056	0.20 (#11)	0 / 349	New	Extra-parliamentary
2022	12,882	0.20 (#11)	0 / 349	0	Extra-parliamentary

European Parliament

Election	List leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/−	EP Group
2019	Unclear	6,363	0.15 (#12)	0 / 20	New	−
2024	Pia Rundkvist	12,699	0.30 (#12)	0 / 20	0

References

1. "Monika Råberg Hellsing ny partisekreterare för Medborgerlig Samling". 3 June 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
2. "Nytt rekord när MED nådde över 4.000 medlemmar". 26 April 2022.
3. Rundkvist, Pia (23 November 2020). "Medborgerlig Samling bättre än riksdagspartierna i sociala medier". pressmachine.se (in Swedish). PressMachine. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
4. Citizens' Coalition. "Marknadspolitik". medborgerligsamling.se (in Swedish). Citizens' Coalition. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
5. "EU". medborgerligsamling.se (in Swedish). Citizens' Coalition. 2019. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
6. "Medborgerlig Samling har passerat 1 000 medlemmar" (in Swedish). September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
7. "Bara politik 28 mars: Se hela programmet" (in Swedish). Expressen. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
8. "Vår historia". medborgerligsamling.se (in Swedish). Citizens' Coalition. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
9. Madon, Sakine (2018-04-24). "Sakine Madon: Medborgerlig samling för maktkritiska högerväljare". vlt.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-05-12.
10. Beglund, Anton; Ingströmer, Karin (2017-01-20). "Lämnar M – startar nytt parti i Laholm". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-05-12.
11. "Om oss - vår ideologiska hemvist". www.medborgerligsamling.se/ (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 July 2018.
12. ""Skogsägare blir styvmoderligt behandlade"".
13. "Valfiasko för småpartierna". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 2018-09-12. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
14. "Fiasko för uppstickarna i valet". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). 10 September 2018. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
15. "Valpresentation". resultat.val.se. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
16. "Röster Val 2019". Valmyndigheten. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
17. "Valresultat för Kommunvalet: Laholm". valresultat.svt.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-10-16.
18. "Valresultat för Kommunvalet: Höör". valresultat.svt.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-10-16.
19. "Medborgerlig Samling har tagit mandat i tre kommuner - Medborgerlig Samling". Medborgerlig Samling (in Swedish). 2018-09-12. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
20. "Valresultat för Kommunvalet: Torsås". valresultat.svt.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-10-16.
21. "De startar konkurrent till Moderaterna | Dagens Opinion". www.DagensOpinion.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 July 2017.
22. "Sveriges nya parti: Medborgerlig Samling". Retrieved 14 July 2017.
23. "Palatskupp inom Borgerlig Framtid". Lars Wilderäng. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
24. "BORGERLIG FRAMTID - Företagsinformation - Ratsit.se". www.ratsit.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 July 2017.
25. "Registrerade partibeteckningar". www.val.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
26. "Val till kommunfullmäktige - Preliminärt valresultat - Torsås".
27. "Val till kommunfullmäktige - Preliminärt valresultat - Höör".
28. "Val till kommunfullmäktige - Preliminärt valresultat - Laholm".
29. "Val till kommunfullmäktige - Preliminärt valresultat - Karlshamn".
30. "Val till kommunfullmäktige - Preliminärt valresultat - Järfälla".
31. "Val till kommunfullmäktige - Preliminärt valresultat - Österåker".
32. "Medborgerlig Samling". Medborgerlig Samling (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-07-15.
33. "DEBATT. Hur ska landsbygdsbor kunna skydda sig?". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 30 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
34. "Medborgerlig Samlings Näringslivspolitiska program". 9 July 2017.
35. "Vår politik - www.medborgerligsamling.se". 8 August 2023.
36. Klinga, Roland (18 September 2017). "Nya partier siktar på Riksdagen". Corren. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
37. "Valmanifest EU-val 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 17 November 2019.
38. "Tydligt nej till EU:s återhämtningsfond vid helgens partistämma". 16 November 2020.
39. Citizens' Coalition. "Idéprogram för Medborgerlig Samling" (PDF). medborgerligsamling.se (in Swedish). Malmö: Citizens' Coalition. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2019. Sverige är och ska fortsättningsvis vara en konstitutionell monarki. Liksom i Danmark och Storbritannien borde monarken kunna tjäna som ceremoniell rådgivare vid regeringsskiften.
40. "Medborgerlig Samling får inte delta i Stockholm Pride". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
41. "Varför portas Medborgerlig Samling från Pride" (in Swedish).

External links

• Official website