It was a tough autumn for Muharrem Demirok. In November, an internal uprising erupted in the party – about his leadership, the opinion polls, and the party's stance on the government issue. The Youth Association Cuf demanded his resignation, but the uprising fizzled out.
Now he is on stage in Linköping, speaking to around 650 Centre Party members from across the country. When the speech is over, it is applauded for a long time in the hall.
But when TT called around to Centre Party members across the country ahead of the party's municipal days, a clear picture emerges – the tensions within the party remain.
Sign of Health
Demirok downplays the tensions himself.
That there are different opinions within a party is a sign of health, he says to TT after the speech.
What happened last autumn was that the tough and difficult questions also leaked out, and that created frustration among very many. It also made very many people angry and sad that it came outside our party.
Several of those TT spoke to say that the opinion polls will be decisive for Demirok's future. They point out that he still ranks at the bottom of the confidence ratings for party leaders, nearly two years after taking over from Annie Lööf.
But Demirok says he is not nervous.
I'm not stressed. I would be stressed if I were at 2.2 percent, says Demirok.
The Centre Party must, of course, work to raise our opinion polls. I work night and day for that.
New Policy Issues
The focus for the days in Linköping is to discuss new policy issues for, among other things, climate, justice policy, school, and rural areas. Policies that the party will go to the election with in 2026.
Among other things, a proposal for a crisis commission for small businesses is presented. According to the Centre Party, the government lacks concrete policies to support small businesses.
The sensitive issue of which path the Centre Party should take in the government issue is not formally on the agenda. But during the autumn crisis, it was the triggering factor. Critics perceived it as Demirok pushing for the party to already now back S-leader Magdalena Andersson as prime ministerial candidate.
But in the speech, there is no mention of red-green cooperation. Instead, Demirok emphasizes the Centre Party's position in the middle.
The extremes' paths lead us astray, he says.
