Politics in Sweden: Why carelessness isn't the only issue with the PM's 'bästis'
leaving his notebook at public radio broadcaster SR's studios
leaving his mobile phone at the embassy of Hungary during Nato talks
employing someone without security clearance
leaving classified documents at a conference hotel north of Stockholm
expensing trips to Berlin where his girlfriend lived
For months, there has been growing pressure on Landerholm, who is not only a school friend of Sweden's prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, but also the person alongside whom he took his first steps into youth politics. He has been described as Kristersson's bästis, school slang for "best friend".
He has been mocked as Slarverholm across the Swedish media for his slarvig ("careless") tendencies.
When the Säpo security police launched an inquiry into the four classified documents he left at the Gällöfsta conference centre at the start of 2023, he announced his resignation.
The security blunders are not the only thing problematic about Landerholm's appointment, however.
Since he was appointed to the new (arguably tailor-made) role of national security adviser in 2022, he has rapidly built up a new organisation comprising more than 70 civil servants within Sweden's Cabinet Office, or Statsrådsberedningen.
This has reportedly caused disquiet within Sweden's Foreign Office. There has even been speculation that it played a role in the resignation of Tobias Billström as foreign minister in September.
There have also been questions over Landerholm's unclear status. While it is common practice in Sweden for politicians to appoint trusted friends and longstanding colleagues to special adviser roles, Landerholm was employed as a civil servant. In theory, this means it is a non-political appointment made on merit.
Kristersson insisted to the Dagens Nyheter newspaper that it was "completely wrong" to suggest that Landerholm had got his position on the back of their friendship.
"This is a highly qualified civil servant who has been given important roles in security policy under several governments of different political complexion," he said.
Landerholm was vice-chancellor of the Swedish Defence University between 2008 and 2008, led Folke Bernadotteakademin, a Swedish peace agency, between 2008 and 2011, then served as ambassador to Riga, then ambassador to Abu Dhabi, and was appointed director general of the Psychological Defence Agency in 2022.
An anonymous Moderate Party source told Aftonbladet, however, that they viewed the appointment as "pure nepotism". It was, they added, only the most glaring example of a pattern. The source pointed to PM Nilsson, the journalist (and friend) Kristersson made a state secretary (a senior political aide), as another example. Nilsson resigned in January 2023 over an illegal eel-fishing incident.
The opposition has sought to exploit the scandal, with the party's defence spokesperson Peter Hultqvist calling it a "catastrophe for Kristersson".
"When Säpo starts this preliminary investigation, it means two dramatic things are happening," he said. "Säpo is overruling both the prime minister and the security division of the government offices. They are refusing to accept the job that they did."
Kristersson, he said, should have pushed Landerholm to resign "a long time ago".
"Another question you could ask is how effective this new security organisation is: what has it produced in the way of security analysis that we didn't have before?"
For the Moderates and the government, it is probably a relief that Säpo launched its investigation and so forced Landerholm to step down as this might draw a line under the long-simmering scandal. The risk for them is that his resignation is not the end of the story.
What else has been happening in Swedish politics?
Justice minister meets police on renewed explosions
Sweden's justice minister, Gunnar Strömmer, called an emergency meeting with police leaders after six blasts took place in Stockholm, Eskilstuna, and Malmö over the preceding few days. There have been 30 explosions recorded since the turn of the year, an average of more than one a day.
The opposition Social Democrats called on the government to inform the parliament and coordinate with opposition parties on possible solutions. "We are in the middle of a national crisis which requires cooperation and unity," the party's justice spokesperson Teresa Carvalho, said.
Kristersson's kitchen supper in Denmark
Denmark's prime minister Mette Frederiksen invited Ulf Kristersson, Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and Finland's President Alexander Stubb over for an informal dinner at her home on Sunday in a show of Nordic solidarity in the face of US President Donald Trump's threats against Denmark.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen held an informal dinner on Sunday. Photo: Mette Frederiksen/Facebook
Sweden's government proposes cutting 2030 and 2040 climate goals
Sweden's government has instructed the cross-party Miljömålsberedningen (Committee for Preparation of Environmental targets) to look into whether the interim targets for 2030 and 2040 should be changed "so that they better overlap with Sweden's EU commitments".
Daniel Helldén, joint leader of the Green Party, dismissed the announcement as a skenmanöver, a "pretence" or "smokescreen".
"What the government should be doing right now, after all the criticism it has received for its climate policies, is to take actions which will reduce emissions here and now," he said.
Kristina Östman, head of the climate unit at the Swedish Society for Nature Preservation, called the decision "incredibly irresponsible".
Sweden's migration minister calls for higher income requirement for citizenship
In an interview with Swedish public broadcaster SR, Sweden's migration minister, Johan Forssell, said that he was not happy with the low income requirement proposed by the inquiry into stricter citizenship which reported earlier this month, and was considering to include a more demanding requirement in a future bill put before parliament.
The inquiry proposed that applicants should have 7,000 kronor available after tax. This is the so called existensminimum that bankrupt people are allowed to keep from monthly income to meet essential expenses.
"It's obvious to me that this demand does not go sufficiently far if you want to be a Swedish citizen, the finest thing you can be in our country," he said. "There are several parties, including us [The Moderates] who want to negotiate on this."
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