Communist Party of Sweden (1995)

Not to be confused with Communist Party (Sweden).
Communist Party of Sweden
Sveriges kommunistiska parti
AbbreviationSKP
ChairmanAndreas Sörensen
FoundedFebruary 29, 1977 (AKP)
November 4, 1995 (SKP)
Split fromLeft Party – the Communists
HeadquartersFlyghamnsgatan 1, Skarpnäck, Stockholm
NewspaperRiktpunKt
Youth wingCommunist Youth of Sweden
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism–Leninism
Anti-revisionism[1]
Political positionFar-left
European affiliationEuropean Communist Action (2023–present)[2]
INITIATIVE (2013–2023)
European Parliament groupNon-Inscrits
International affiliationIMCWP
Colours  Red
Riksdag
0 / 349
European Parliament
0 / 21
County councils
0 / 1,597
Municipal councils
0 / 12,780
Website
skp.se

The Communist Party of Sweden (Swedish: Sveriges kommunistiska parti) is a Marxist–Leninist communist party in Sweden and continuation of Workers' Party Communists (Swedish: Arbetarpartiet kommunisterna, APK). It is a member party of European Communist Action, previously it was a member party of Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties from 2013 until in 2023 it was succeeded by ECA. Internationally the party is a member of IMCWP.

History

The Flamman group, an orthodox pro-Soviet section within Left Party 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 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 ('Communist Youth of Sweden', abbreviated SKU) was created as the youth wing 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 wing.

Factions within the Swedish left during the last century.

Ideology

The SKP is Marxist-Leninist and anti-revisionist, it supports the Soviet government under Joseph Stalin and considers the leadership after him to be revisionist. It is a staunch supporter of proletarian internationalism and as such supports the proletarian revolutions globally as a single class struggle. It supports a revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a communist party organizated according to the principles of democratic centralism. The party is strongly supportive of the LGBTQ people, advocating for better rights and increased protections. It is in favor of immigration, expressing solidarity with them. The party supports women's liberation, arguing that capitalism oppresses women as such they consider women's liberation core to worker's liberation. [4]

Election results

Riksdag

Year Votes % Seats +/– Government
1998 1,868 0.03 (#15)
0 / 349
 New No seats
2002 1,182 0.02 (#17)
0 / 349
 Steady 0 No seats
2006 438 0.01 (#20)
0 / 349
 Steady 0 No seats
2010 375 0.01 (#20)
0 / 349
 Steady 0 No seats
2014 558 0.01 (#21)
0 / 349
 Steady 0 No seats
2018 702 0.01 (#20)
0 / 349
 Steady 0 No seats
2022 1,181 0.02 (#21)
0 / 349
 Steady 0 No seats

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
 Steady 0

The party was represented in the municipal council of Gällivare until April 2013, when their sole representative was expelled from the party after he suggested that a vote for the SKP in the 2014 Swedish general election constituted a wasted vote.[5]

See also

  • Communist Party of Sweden (disambiguation)

References

  1. ^ "Partiprogram". Sveriges Kommunistiska Parti. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  2. ^ "European Communist Action's Founding Declaration". 27 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Partiprogram". Sveriges Kommunistiska Parti. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  4. ^ [3]
  5. ^ ""Det viktiga är att bli av med den här regeringen" – P4 Norrbotten". Sveriges Radio. 30 April 2013.
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