In Sweden, scandals slide over the Prime Minister before the elections

Conservative Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has had a mandate punctuated by scandals since 2022, and the pace is accelerating as the September elections approach, for the moment without consequences.

In recent days, the daily Aftonbladet has revealed questionable ethical practices of the head of government and his wife, Birgitta Ed, a Lutheran pastor.

According to the newspaper, a foundation run by Ms Ed recruited volunteers to raise funds and renovate the foundation's mansion, in exchange for a "good network" of contacts and meetings held at the Prime Minister's official residence.

Two of these volunteers would then have been appointed to positions within the government, he said. Kristersson called the reports "false accusations", telling Aftonbladet: "this foundation is run by my wife and has nothing to do with me."

The Aftonbladet journalist also said she was able to gain access to the couple's room in the property without a security check.

In another investigation, the newspaper reveals that the general director of the Swedish Public Health Agency was fired in 2024 after questioning a government directive aimed at giving priority to "health existential." At the same time, Mrs. Ed launched a company offering retreats dedicated precisely... to "existential health".

In another high-profile affair, Kristersson was heavily criticized in 2023 for hiring a childhood friend as national security advisor.

He then defended him when he left classified documents in an unlocked locker at a Stockholm conference center.

Kristersson, whose right-wing government is supported by the far right, also came under heavy criticism in 2025 for supporting his Immigration Minister when the latter's 16-year-old son had links to white supremacist groups.

The Prime Minister was also accused of conflict of interest regarding his sister-in-law's affairs.

- "Continuously" -

For Olle Lundin, professor of law at Uppsala University, these scandals constitute cases of corruption.

“There is corruption when someone abuses their public power for their own benefit or that of others. And we can almost say that they do this in a continuous manner,” Mr. Lundin told AFP.

Yet these cases have had almost no legal consequences and very few calls for his resignation, in a country ranked sixth among the least corrupt in the world, according to Transparency International.

“There is nothing criminal or illegal in all of this,” acknowledges Mr. Lundin, who emphasizes that the only verdict will come from the polls on September 13.

The polls for these legislative elections show the right-wing bloc ahead of the opposition of e