Annika Hirvonen, MP group leader in the Riksdag, tells TT that two former SD MPs chose to vote against the opposition's proposal for transitional rules on Wednesday. This came after two former SD politicians, who are now political renegades, voted with the opposition.
"We have reviewed the minutes of all the votes and see that it is only in this matter where their votes were decisive that they voted. In the other votes they were not included, as agreed. It is obvious that this is not a mistake," says Hirvonen.
The opposition lost the vote. MPs are now demanding a rerun.
"I will simply demand that all parties that support us having a reliable set-off agreement raise this issue again," says Hirvonen.
SD confirms
SD's group leader Linda Lindberg confirms that the expelled members of parliament Charlotte Quensel and Michael Rubbestad were called in to vote against the opposition's proposal.
"This, if anything, highlights the problem that the parties in the Riksdag do not own their own mandates. The people have cast their votes for the Tidö majority, and as voters you should also be able to expect that our policies will become reality, regardless of whether there are a couple of power-seeking savages in our seats in the chamber. Important legislation must be allowed to take precedence over the influence of savages and the system of set-offs, which is why I ensured that this particular individual vote was voted through," Lindberg writes in a comment to TT.
The Social Democrats' group leader Lena Hallengren is upset about how the vote went.
"It puts democracy out of play because we had rules of the game that we agreed on," she tells TT.
Hallengren says that what has happened poses a major problem for the governing parties.
"I think they realize what the consequences could be if there is not a functioning offsetting system," she says.
Voluntary agreement
The opposition's demand for transitional rules was voted down by 147–146.
Set-off is a voluntary agreement between the parties in the Riksdag, used when members are unable to participate in votes for various reasons.
The agreement exists to avoid imbalances between the parties during voting.
