Petter Stordalen could become Prime Minister of Sweden

Expressen writes every day about the crowds, the people and the stomach-churning excitement from Almedalen Week 2025.

Victor Malm reports from the fourth day in Visby. According to Petter Stordalen, Petter Stordalen has higher confidence figures than Ulf Kristersson. Photo: SVEN LINDWALL

VISBY. He was once Ulf Kristersson’s state secretary.

Then came the eel, the police and the train and PM Nilsson became CEO of Timbro, a right-wing think tank that in Almedalen has taken the form of a dance band. A real dance band, then. They call themselves Timbroz. Singers? Lisa Dos Santos and Andreas Johansson Heinö.

On Thursday evening they held a concert and party and PM Nilsson looked happier than ever. Everyone was there to bug the new dansband right-hand man.

Björn Ranelid, Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer, hyped S-top Lawen Redar, S-press manager Odd Guteland, Minister of Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall, traitor Sara Skyttedal and many others from the social stratum sometimes called the klägget.

I guess there was some kind of political point to it all.

Something about freedom.

Kitsch so necessary that it attracts beyond political considerations.

Hours before, Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson was acting as speaker at Almedalen and, like the rest of the Moderates, seemed not to know what story her party should tell. The Tidö government is keeping its promises. They are making laws and implementing reforms, the train is running as it should. But at the same time, Svantesson made it sound like Sweden, right now, is hell on earth.

The reforms are not helping.

The country is in free fall.

Timbroz and PM Nilsson are the happy face of this whiny right, an attempt to pull themselves out of the apocalyptic depression and start dreaming of a happier time.

Doomed to fail.

Sweden’s dance floors are empty. Young liberals who danced to four beats in a courtyard in Visby are the same kind of nostalgia as when Magdalena Andersson wants to make Sweden Sweden again.

The last sweet years.

Petter Stordalen could probably become prime minister if he wanted to.

Earlier that day on Expressen’s stage, he described Sweden as the happiest, best and most well-functioning country in the world. The audience was spellbound. Optimism and faith in the future, a glass of cold water after a glass and a half of wine.

In a fiery speech at his expensive power mingle in Visbykvällen, Stordalen asserted that he has higher confidence figures than Ulf Kristersson.

Then he fled his guests to show himself at the indoor restaurant Supper.

Victor Malm is the cultural director at Expressen.

Victor Malm is the cultural director at Expressen