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Monday, November 3, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/majority-of-swedes-support-monarchy-but-want-victoria-as-regent/

Sweden

Majority of Swedes support monarchy but want Victoria as regent

Published today 11:21 am – By Editorial staff
Women and left-wing voters are more likely to want Victoria as regent.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Support for the Swedish royal house remains strong, a new survey shows. But public opinion is evenly divided on when it's time for Crown Princess Victoria to take over the throne – with nearly half believing this should happen now.

The Swedish royal house stands firm in public opinion. In a survey by Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and Ipsos, two out of three respondents say they want to keep the monarchy as the form of government. Only one in five people believe Sweden should be transformed into a republic where the head of state position is elected.

Although royalism remains strong, the measurements show that support has decreased somewhat over time. Two decades ago, the monarchy's position was even stronger, but in recent years the curve has turned upward again.

Support for the royal house is particularly evident among older voters, those with lower education levels, and those living outside metropolitan areas. Gender differences are small.

— It's only when we look at party sympathies that we see significant differences, says Nicklas Källebring, opinion analyst at Ipsos.

Negative media image

The Left Party's voters are the only group where more want to abolish the monarchy than keep it. The most royalist are Christian Democrat sympathizers, although the sample size there is limited.

The question of who should sit on the throne is more contested. Just over four out of ten respondents believe Crown Princess Victoria should take over now, while almost as many think King Carl XVI Gustaf should continue.

Fifteen years ago, only a small minority wanted to see an early succession. But opinion changed drastically after the publication of a book and newspaper articles that gave a negative image of the king, and the proportion wanting to see Victoria as regent increased markedly. Surveys from the SOM Institute at the University of Gothenburg have also shown that she is more popular than her father.

Strongest support among young people

Views on who should hold the throne vary between different groups. Women are more in favor of Victoria taking over, while the king has greater support among voters of the Tidö parties (Sweden's center-right governing coalition) compared to the opposition.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the aging king has his strongest support among voters under 30 years old.

— This may possibly reflect a neo-conservative spirit seen among young people today, says Nicklas Källebring.

Victoria is already training for the realm's highest duty. When the king is on longer trips abroad, she becomes regent and temporarily takes over responsibility as head of state. This is happening now in November when the king travels to the climate meeting in Brazil.

Sweden has had so-called cognatic succession since 1980, which means that the oldest child, regardless of gender, inherits the throne.

Ipsos conducted 1,539 interviews with eligible voters during the period October 7–19.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/twelve-deaths-linked-to-serious-home-care-failures-in-sweden/

Sweden

Twelve deaths linked to serious home care failures in Sweden

Published today 3:04 pm – By Editorial staff
In several situations, alarms were forgotten when staff were occupied with other tasks.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

At least twelve elderly people died in connection with serious failures in home care services during 2024 in Sweden. In five of the cases, they called for help without anyone responding, according to an investigation of Lex Sarah cases.

The Swedish Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO) closed 190 so-called Lex Sarah reports regarding failures in home care services during 2024. The investigation, conducted by publicly funded Swedish broadcaster SVT, identified twelve deaths where inadequate care played a role.

In five of the cases, it involved safety alarms that were either forgotten or handled incorrectly. One person called for help seven times before passing away. Another, who had suffered a stroke, had to wait over two hours for assistance. Several died alone.

An additional four care recipients died after being left without food, care, or both for extended periods.

— This must not happen and it says something about the staff's working conditions, says Lars Rahm at IVO to SVT.

Twelve deaths

In total, the investigation shows 43 cases where failures in alarm handling led to or risked leading to serious consequences. In several situations, alarms were forgotten when staff who had received them were occupied with other tasks.

Furthermore, SVT has also identified an additional twelve deaths where it cannot be ruled out that the outcome could have been different with different actions. In five of these cases, staff had left the location despite the care recipient not opening the door.

Rahm describes the results as very concerning and points out that the Lex Sarah reports likely only show a fraction of reality.

— This is a highly worrying outcome. IVO's other information, such as tips and complaints, suggests underreporting, he says.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-police-warn-of-growing-online-abuse-targeting-children/

Sweden

Swedish police warn of growing online abuse targeting children

Published October 31, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Research shows that children who have been subjected to internet-related sexual offenses often suffer from serious mental health problems.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Children and young people are increasingly falling victim to sexual abuse and extortion on the internet. Cyber investigators are calling for more education and adult presence as countermeasures – not bans on apps and games.

Innocent chat conversations in gaming environments and on social platforms are increasingly turning into sexual exploitation and extortion of children and adolescents, and Swedish police are seeing a clear increase in internet-related sexual crimes against young people.

Alexandra Lindgren, police assistant and cyber investigator within the unit for internet-related sexual abuse of children (Isöb) in Region East, believes that the solution does not lie in banning digital platforms. Instead, better education is needed.

— We need to talk with children and young people and really make them understand that they need to be critical about who they choose to talk to. Often there isn't that mindset to question things, she says.

Certain platforms recur in police investigations: Snapchat, WhatsApp, Discord and various gaming environments. What begins as a harmless conversation can quickly develop into something dangerous.

— Children lack consequential thinking. In certain apps, such as Snapchat, there are different points to earn by adding many new friends. Then you don't reflect on who is behind the usernames, says Lindgren.

"Feel bad and ashamed"

It's not only adults who commit the abuse – young people also victimize each other. In some cases, the young people themselves take the initiative, driven by a desire for expensive branded clothes or other status symbols. They send images in exchange for money or products, without understanding that the images can then be used for extortion.

Girls are the most common victim group, but boys are also subjected to abuse to a greater extent than statistics show. The dark figure is also significant because boys have a harder time talking about the abuse.

The most common crimes are exploitation of children for sexual posing and child pornography offenses. Research shows that victims often develop mental health issues, partly because the abuse lacks a clear end – the images can be spread further and the victims never know who has seen them.

— They often feel very bad and ashamed. They don't want mom and dad to find out. Some also get scolded when it comes out, which in my opinion is the wrong way to go. It's much better to talk and listen and support, says Alexandra Lindgren.

The police have been criticized for investigations taking too long. Lindgren confirms the problem and points to bottlenecks in digital analysis and dependence on external parties such as internet service providers.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-government-moves-forward-with-plans-for-a-swedish-cia/

Sweden

Swedish government moves forward with plans for a “Swedish CIA”

Published October 29, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Critical voices compare the new agency with the American CIA.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish government is moving forward with plans for a new civilian intelligence service directly under the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The idea is that the agency will strengthen Sweden's analytical capacity regarding events and alleged threats abroad and complement the military intelligence service.

A special investigator, Annika Brändström, has been appointed to prepare the establishment of the new intelligence service, which according to the government's press release is to be operational on January 1, 2027.

The proposal is based on an investigation led by former Swedish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who proposed that parts of the military intelligence service should be transferred to a civilian agency under the government.

– It will be an independent agency that, among other things, handles collection through technical means and with open information, and will be under the government like all other agencies, said Bildt at a press conference together with Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson, earlier this summer.

According to the press release, the new agency will meet the Government Offices' intelligence needs and work closely with the Swedish Armed Forces, FRA (the Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment), the Swedish Security Service, and other relevant actors within the total defense.

"Broader security threats"

Today, much of the intelligence operations are handled by the Swedish Security Service (Säkerhetspolisen) and the military intelligence service Must, which provide the defense forces and government with analyses.

According to Carl Bildt, this system has shown shortcomings, including in the assessments before the war in Ukraine escalated in 2022.

– We have seen a broader security threat against Sweden, just take cyber threats, terrorist threats, technology threats, investment controls and hostile state actors using different methods. We have not had quite as much control over things in our immediate area, which lie outside the immediate military sphere, as we should have had, he claimed in connection with the summer press conference.

"Swedish CIA" or British model?

Critics have compared the new intelligence agency to the notorious American intelligence service CIA.

– Well, it's difficult to make that comparison. It's more a larger version of what the British have with their Joint Intelligence Organisation. An independent agency that is collecting to some extent, but primarily analyzing, said Bildt.

Sweden's former prime minister emphasizes that the international community will perceive the agency as a significant increase in ambition.

– We have tripled resources over the past 15 years, there has been a continued expansion of this activity. It is an organization that is then a bit more similar to what most other countries already have.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-government-seeks-mandatory-deportation-for-prison-sentences/

Sweden

Swedish government seeks mandatory deportation for prison sentences

Migration crisis in Europe

Published October 29, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Moderate Party-led Swedish government is close to introducing a law that would force prosecutors to demand deportation when foreign nationals are sentenced to prison. The penalty threshold will be lowered from six months, which is expected to dramatically increase the number of deportations in coming years.

Migration Minister Johan Forssell (Moderate Party) confirms that the government will soon submit the legislative proposal making it mandatory to demand deportation for persons sentenced to prison. The reform could increase the number of deportations sixfold in the first years.

The announcement comes after international criticism that a man who raped the then 16-year-old Meya in Skellefteå, northern Sweden, last year was not deported.

— I was very moved when I read about this case, both as a minister but above all as a parent, Forssell tells state-funded broadcaster Radio Sweden.

He emphasizes that the system is failing:

— Crime victims should receive justice and the system should be fair, but there is a systemic flaw here. I want to be honest in saying that this systemic flaw means that it is rather the perpetrators' well-being that is taken into account.

— People are still allowed to remain in Sweden despite having committed very serious crimes, for example rape, and I find that offensive, the minister adds.

"Toughest regulations in the Nordic region"

The upcoming legislation is based on an inquiry that the government received in May. The proposal means that prosecutors must demand deportation for prison sentences, and courts must decide on deportation when the conditions are met.

The penalty threshold will be lowered from six months to all prison sentences, meaning that even crimes such as assault and fraud could lead to deportation. According to the inquiry, the number of deportations could increase by 500–600 percent during the first years.

— Sweden will thus have the toughest regulations in the entire Nordic region, Forssell claims, adding that the government also wants to review the EU rules that make deportations more difficult.

— I hope that we will be successful there, but it is a more complicated process than Swedish legislation, which we control ourselves.

Lack of credibility

Although many agree that immigrant criminals should be deportable, critics question the migration minister's credibility and ask how many deportations will actually be carried out.

During the Moderate Party's previous period in government under Fredrik Reinfeldt (Swedish Prime Minister 2006-2014), Sweden's already generous mass immigration was expanded, which according to critics has led to many of the people who may now be deported, or their parents, being granted entry to Sweden in the first place.

Despite the sudden shift in rhetoric, many believe it is highly unlikely that extensive deportation programs will be implemented under a Moderate Party-led government.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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