The incoming coalition chose to follow tradition and have a new Speaker of the Riksdag elected from the majority. Perfectly legitimate and hardly surprising but still a mistake.
Leaving aside the fact that outgoing speaker Björn von Sydow was widely popular and did a good job as far as anyone can tell the fact remains that this position is really above party politics. The new government has made a point of changing routines for all sorts of appointments in the state. Merits and person should count, party book should not and the process should be open. So, what a great opportunity the Alliance missed here. By agreeing generously to keep a successful speaker from the Social Democrats they would have sent the signal that merits matter. More chances will come but they really blew this one.
Leaving aside the fact that outgoing speaker Björn von Sydow was widely popular and did a good job as far as anyone can tell the fact remains that this position is really above party politics. The new government has made a point of changing routines for all sorts of appointments in the state. Merits and person should count, party book should not and the process should be open. So, what a great opportunity the Alliance missed here. By agreeing generously to keep a successful speaker from the Social Democrats they would have sent the signal that merits matter. More chances will come but they really blew this one.
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