Mona Sahlin rejoices

The politician, who was leader of the Swedish Social Democrats until 2011 resigned following the party's worst ever electoral defeat in 2010. 

  • In an interview with popular TV talk show host Skavlan, former leader of the Swedish Social Democrats, Mona Sahlin, admitted to feeling “a bit of malicious delight” about the fact that the party didn’t exactly skyrocket after she left last year.
  • Mona Sahlin on the recent party turmoil
    "I take a bit of malicious delight in it, though it is almost forbidden to feel that way," said former leader for the Social Democratic Party Mona Sahlin in an interview with talk show host Skavlan on Swedish TV recently.

  • In 2011 Sahlin left her position as leader for the Social Democrats after a poor election and a rough period in general. At that time the party had no idea that it was going to get even worse after Sahlin. But during the last turbulent months, which culminated in Sahlin’s successor Håkan Juholt’s departure, that’s exactly what happened.

  • “Part of me has felt sorrow and pain, it has been sad to see the devastation this has wrought inside the party. Then again there is a part of me, and I find this surprising, that thinks: ‘Well, what did they expect?’ Did they think that by just changing leader everything would be solved? I take a bit of malicious delight in that.” Sahlin also criticized the Social Democrats for being to internal and not seeing reality.

  • “It’s almost like a sect behavior, where we only see ourselves. We go on ‘forgive-me-tours’, even though most of our supporters are different from our members. That’s the problem of the Social Democrats.” Sahlin’s way of acting has made many of her colleagues angry. “Even though she feels this way, she shouldn’t say so. It’s terrible,” says one member of the Swedish parliament. Another member of the party says: “She’s kicking someone who’s already down. This only makes all fights worse, when what we need to do is talk politics.”