New STV series shows two former politicians’ journey from Sweden to Vietnam
Going from the center of Swedish politics to a life beyond the spotlight is not an easy journey. That is the opinion of Jonas Sjöstedt, who left the leadership position in Sweden’s Left Party for a new life in Vietnam where his wife works as an ambassador.
In a new SVT series, he and the former opposition leader and Moderate leader Anna Kinberg Batra set off on a reflective train journey to Hanoi.
The SVT series “The train to Hanoi – life after the debate” is on paper about the politicians’ journey to Hanoi, but in reality the program, according to Jonas Sjöstedt, is about taking the step from politics to the everyday life that awaits. afterwards.
Jonas Sjöstedt was chairman of the Left Party from 2012 to 2020. He is married to the Swedish diplomat Ann Måwe, who was part of the Swedish delegation to the UN and who in 2019 became Sweden’s ambassador to Vietnam. In 2020, Jonas Sjöstedt left Swedish politics for an undisturbed life in Vietnam with his family and in an interview the same year he said that he planned to study Vietnamese and start writing.
As party leaders, Jonas Sjöstedt and Anna Kinberg Batra did not have much in common, but during the trip to Hanoi they found a common ground, says Jonas Sjöstedt.
“We have different ways of looking at politics and the world. But the journey to step down and do something else and how it feels, she understands. She has done the same thing, but in a different way. She has also experienced how it feels when the phone stops ringing “, he explains.
The series “The train to Hanoi – life after the debate” can be seen on SVT Play from Sunday 23 January.