As a politician, you also have to open the window and look out sometimes, not only scrutinise your inner ideological reasoning but also look at the problems we have in Sweden, says Minister for Climate and the Environment Romina Pourmokhtari.
With only days left until election day, she is knocking on doors with local Liberal Party campaigners in a residential area in Enebyberg in Danderyd municipality. Here, the Moderates received 40 percent in the last election and the Liberals 12 percent.
At the national level, things look bleaker for L. The party appears to have gained some ground in the final stretch but is far from certain to remain in parliament.
"Everything stands and falls with us," says Pourmokhtari as she encourages the campaign workers.
She introduces herself as the "Minister of the Environment" when doors are knocked on and then holds out a brochure with the text "Without us, the red goes to hell."
Still has her opinions
The L-profile made herself known as one of the Sweden Democrats' harshest critics and wrote in 2018 that the SD consists of "racist nuts with Nazi roots." The SD builds hatred and xenophobia, she said as the then chair of the Liberal Youth Union in 2021. The following year she became a minister.
"I have not changed my opinions, I think the same things I always have about the Sweden Democrats," says Pourmokhtari.
Despite her views, she is now going to the polls to form a government together with the SD.
I'm not a Sweden Democrat, I'm a liberal. We have different opinions on a lot of things, but we can sit down, look at what Sweden needs and agree on it.
She believes, among other things, that L has succeeded in influencing SD in climate policy and got them to agree to a 10 percent reduction obligation instead of no reduction obligation at all, and that it is an example of when L is a brake on SD.
The Liberal profile also does not rule out becoming a minister again.
"I'm not going around waiting," she says with a smile. "But for us, the total focus is on more Swedes understanding that the Liberals are absolutely crucial."
Don't want to see Jomshof
One person she does not want to see as a minister, however, is the Sweden Democrats' Richard Jomshof.
What does Magdalena Andersson usually say about the Left Party? They have a very long journey to go. I think Jomshof has a very long journey to go.
When L swung and opened up to sit in government with SD, it was perhaps the hug that Simona Mohamsson gave Jimmie Åkesson that received the most attention.
"Well, I'm not that huggable," Pourmokhtari replies when asked if she could have done the same thing.
At the same time, L has probably been helped by Åkesson's deadline for the party and the attention it has generated, she admits. The question is whether it will be enough all the way.
Jimmie Åkesson himself reacts strongly to Pourmokhtari's words and writes in a comment on Facebook that this shows why Sweden Democrats should not vote for the Liberals.
"It is possible to undo your early voting on election day," he writes.
