STOCKHOLM, 19 September (Reuters) – Sweden’s minority government promised an increased economy of SEK 74 billion ($ 8.6 billion) for the economy in its budget for 2022, which the Minister of Finance outlined on Sunday, in the hope of courting voters and turning a deficit in opinion polls ahead of next year’s general election.

As many of the coalition’s pandemic support measures are phased out, the budget is focused on moving the economy to a long-term growth path, with extra money for welfare, combating climate change and increasing jobs. Read more

“We will use the strength of the Swedish economy to build a society that is stronger and more sustainable than before the pandemic,” said Minister of Finance Magdalena Andersson and summarized the budget in Dagens Nyheter.

The entire budget will be published on Monday.

Sweden has recovered from the pandemic faster than most countries in Europe.

But the challenges remain, including dealing with an increase in gang violence, achieving the goal of zero emissions by 2045 and reversing an increase in social and economic inequality. Read more

The center-left bloc is lagging behind the opposition ahead of an election scheduled for September 2022 and the Social Democrat-Green coalition hopes that generous spending will win over voters.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven will resign in November and Andersson will benefit from taking over as leader of the Social Democrats. If she wins a vote of confidence in parliament, she will be Sweden’s first female premiere. Read more

($ 1 = 8.6185 Swedish kronor)

Reporting by Simon Johnson; Editing by Peter Cooney

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