According to a survey by Swedish public broadcaster Ekot, opposition parties in municipalities where the Moderate Party and Social Democrats govern together are facing significant challenges. The two traditional rival parties now cooperate in over 60 municipalities across Sweden, and in 25 municipalities, they form the government exclusively. Ekot's survey, conducted between January 22 and March 9, contacted opposition party representatives in these 25 municipalities, receiving responses from 101 out of 145 contacted politicians - a 70 percent response rate.
Two-thirds of respondents described their opportunities to act as opposition parties as poor. Many reported poor insight into decision-making processes and felt the governing parties showed little interest in hearing their perspectives before making decisions. However, one-third of politicians still perceived their opportunities as good.
A major challenge for opposition parties appears to be internal division, with only a handful describing the opposition as united, while most reported it as split or only partially united. Opposition groups often form along party lines, with former alliance parties, the Sweden Democrats, and the Green and/or Left parties operating separately, sometimes alongside local parties.