Swedish Moderates map budget options ahead of coalition negotiations

After the recent vote, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told reporters the Moderates are ready for multiple outcomes, including forming a government with a different coalition than the Tidö parties. He highlighted that the electorate gave a majority to "non-Socialist" parties, implicitly referencing the Center Party, and asked whether a workable budget could be secured. The party’s contingency plans involve a short-term caretaker government that would file a neutral budget by 12 November if negotiations stall, as well as the possibility of submitting an independent budget motion in parliament.

According to insiders, the Moderates hope to unite the Christian Democrats, Liberals and Sweden Democrats behind a blue-yellow budget, while counting on the Center Party rejecting tax hikes and other left-wing proposals. They also consider a scenario where the Sweden Democrats abandon ministerial demands, allowing a modest M+KD coalition tolerated by other centre-right parties. The strategy emphasizes growth-focused policies rather than migration or crime issues.