KD is starting its national congress in Linköping today. A heavy item on the agenda is 64 proposals for increased community in Sweden. The program will be important for KD in the election campaign.
"It shows our distinctiveness. I hear both M and SD talking about values, but on a general level," says KD leader Ebba Busch.
For example, there are KD proposals for "healthy patriotism", to establish the national symbols in a national charter, to use the Swedish flag more often and to protect traditional holidays.
Other proposals involve supporting community organizations, such as a state fund for sports halls and other meeting places.
Civil defense training
Further examples of the program's breadth are requirements for larger companies to have a physical customer service center, raising the age limit for social media to 15 years, and requiring most young people to undergo civil defense training.
The most notable is a ban on the burqa and niqab in public settings.
They are an expression of a value that does not belong in Sweden, says party secretary Liza-Maria Norlin.
The party is very united in that we must get rid of this.
Norlin believes, however, that there could be debate about exactly how the ban should be designed. According to her, it is not about restricting religious freedom, but about protecting women's freedom.
Hot questions
Norlin believes that there may also be a debate about requiring that one has been registered in Sweden for at least five years to vote in municipal and regional elections, and that only citizens can be elected to municipal and regional councils.
The Riksdag's agenda also includes a healthcare bill, as well as nearly 600 motions.
One issue that Norlin expects to be controversial is the proposal that KD should say no to the EU Commission's controversial proposal to combat child abuse online, which has been nicknamed "chat control." Those who want to say no to chat control warn of the largest surveillance of EU residents ever.
The Youth Union KDU is expected to fight to prevent the KD from working to ban candy flavors aimed at children in white snus and vapes.
Busch hopes that the Riksdag will make clear what distinguishes KD among the Tidö parties.
TT: Are you going to take voters from M and SD?
I think it would be good if we could lower the threshold for centrist voters to choose a right-wing alternative that cares about welfare issues and takes the debate about how we should create cohesion in Sweden seriously, says Busch.
