Communist Party of Sweden (1995)

Communist Party of Sweden

Sveriges kommunistiska parti
Communist Party of Sweden Sveriges kommunistiska parti
Chairman	Andreas Sörensen
Founded	1977 (APK); 1995 (SKP)
Split from	Left Party – the Communists
Headquarters	Flyghamnsgatan 1, Skarpnäck, Stockholm
Newspaper	RiktpunKt
Youth wing	Communist Youth of Sweden
Ideology	Communism; Marxism–Leninism; Hard Euroscepticism;
Political position	Far-left
European affiliation	INITIATIVE (2013–2023); ECA (2023–present)
European Parliament group	Non-Inscrits
International affiliation	IMCWP
Colours	Red
Riksdag	0 / 349
European Parliament	0 / 21
County councils	0 / 1,597
Municipal councils	0 / 12,780
Website
	skp.se
	Politics of Sweden; Political parties; Elections;

The Communist Party of Sweden (Swedish: Sveriges kommunistiska parti) is a Marxist–Leninist communist party in Sweden and continuation of Workers' Party – The Communists (Swedish: Arbetarpartiet kommunisterna, APK).

History

The Flamman group, an orthodox pro-Soviet section within Left Party – The Communists (Vänsterpartiet Kommunisterna), emerged as an internal fraction when C.-H. Hermansson took over as party leader and distanced the party from Moscow. The group was centered on the party newspaper Norrskensflamman ('The Flame of the Aurora Borealis'; usually just called Flamman), the regional party publication in Norrbotten County. The fraction worked as a parallel party centre, and relations between it and the party leadership soured.

At the party congress in 1975, when Hermansson stepped down as party leader, the Flamman group launched Rolf Hagel as its candidate for the party leadership. Hagel was defeated by Lars Werner with 162 votes against 74. In the same year the Flamman-sympathizers were expelled from Kommunistisk Ungdom (Communist Youth), the youth league of the party.

The group broke away in 1977, and formed Arbetarpartiet Kommunisterna ('Workers Party – the Communists', abbreviated APK). A founding congress took place in the Swedish Riksdag. A large number of foreign delegates attended the congress, indicating that APK had strong moral support from CPSU and the orthodox sector of the World Communist Movement. Two MPs (and party central committee members), Rolf Hagel and Alf Löwenborg, led the split. Hagel was elected party president. Norrskensflamman became the central party organ.

Entire VPK party units joined APK in many places, including Malmö, Gothenburg and Mälardalen. The foremost stronghold of the new party was Norrbotten County. In total, up to 25% of the entire VPK party membership (other sources claim between 10% and 15%) joined APK. To a large extent it was the trade union cadres of VPK who joined APK. Shortly thereafter, a large section of the KU district in Gävleborg County joined APK.

Sveriges Kommunistiska Ungdomsförbund ('Young Communist League of Sweden', abbreviated SKU) was created as the youth league of the party. A student wing, Marxistiska Studenter ('Marxist Students'), was founded although it never attained any importance.

APK failed to make any electoral breakthrough, and gradually the party declined. The fall of the Soviet Union had a very negative impact on the party; many members left, either to leave politics completely or to rejoin the Left Party. SKU broke away in 1990, and had a short-lived period as an independent communist youth organization.

In 1995, APK was declared financially bankrupt by state authorities, the first political party in Sweden to suffer that fate.

Directly after the bankruptcy of APK, the core around Hagel regrouped and reconstituted their party as Sveriges Kommunistiska Parti (Communist Party of Sweden). In 2000 SKU was reorganized as the party youth league.

Factions within the Swedish left during the last century.

Election results

Riksdag

Year	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Government
1998	1,868	0.03 (#15)	0 / 349	New	Extra-parliamentary
2002	1,182	0.02 (#17)	0 / 349	0	Extra-parliamentary
2006	438	0.01 (#20)	0 / 349	0	Extra-parliamentary
2010	375	0.01 (#20)	0 / 349	0	Extra-parliamentary
2014	558	0.01 (#21)	0 / 349	0	Extra-parliamentary
2018	702	0.01 (#20)	0 / 349	0	Extra-parliamentary
2022	1,181	0.02 (#21)	0 / 349	0	Extra-parliamentary

European Parliament

Election	List leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	EP Group
2019	Lars Lundberg	974	0.02 (#18)	0 / 20	New	–
2024	Martin Tairi	1,629	0.04 (#18)	0 / 20	0	–

The party was represented in a municipal council until 2013 when their representatives were expelled from the party.^[3]

References

^ "Partiprogram" [Party program] (in Swedish).
^ "European Communist Action's Founding Declaration". 27 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ ""Det viktiga är att bli av med den här regeringen" – P4 Norrbotten". Sveriges Radio. 30 April 2013.

External links

(in Swedish) Sveriges Kommunistiska Parti – Official site
TVKommunist – Official YouTube channel
Riktpunkt

[SKP-1] "Partiprogram" [Party program] (in Swedish).

[2] "European Communist Action's Founding Declaration". 27 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.

[3] ""Det viktiga är att bli av med den här regeringen" – P4 Norrbotten". Sveriges Radio. 30 April 2013.

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