"After eight years as a member of parliament for the Liberals, I have decided not to run for another term. Therefore, I have informed the chairman of the Liberals' election committee in Stockholm that I am withdrawing my candidacy for the Riksdag," writes Avci, who is also the Liberals' defense policy spokesperson.
In the post, Avci writes that the decision came "slowly and with a lot of thought," and that it now feels right to "make room for something else."
Avci will remain a member of parliament for the remainder of the term.
The Liberals are currently being shaken by an opinion poll from Ekot/Indikator published on Thursday. In it, the Liberals received a shocking 1.4 percent - according to Ekot, the lowest support an established parliamentary party has ever received in an opinion poll.
"This is a crisis that has been going on for a long time. I take this seriously. But I have said since day one that it will take time to turn this around," party leader Simona Mohamsson commented on Thursday.
There is frustration within the party over the party's position on the government issue, which was decided last fall after grueling internal discussions. Critics believe that the position is unclear and difficult for voters to understand, and that it is a major cause of the collapse in public support.
