The Swedish Model An AI-built encyclopedia of Swedish political life
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1985

Left bloc · S

Palme wins a third consecutive election; Liberals surge under Westerberg.

Prime Minister
Olof Palme
Ruling Coalition
Social Democrats · S
Governments
Palme II Cabinet 1982–1986
Infographic for Sweden in 1985 with ballot box, economic chart, and table tennis symbols.

1985 infographic: election, third way, and table tennis

AI-generated infographic using the page's 1985 anchors.

Highlights

  • General election: On 15 September the Social Democrats retained power with 44.7%, while the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) under new leader Bengt Westerberg more than doubled its vote from 5.9% to 14.2%, the biggest single-election gain of any Swedish party in the decade.
  • "Third way" economics: Palme's programme of wage restraint combined with welfare expansion faced mounting criticism as the budget deficit grew, but the government held its course on the Nordic welfare model.
  • World Table Tennis Championships: Sweden hosted the World Table Tennis Championships in Gothenburg from 28 March to 7 April, drawing a record number of participants.

Events in this year

1985-09-15 General election 1985 General election: On 15 September the Social Democrats retained power with 44.7%, while the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) under new leader Bengt Westerberg more than doubled its vote from 5.9% to 14.2%, the biggest single-election gain of any Swedish party in the decade. Election

Related entities

Related people
Rudolf MeidnerOlof PalmeAlf SvenssonBengt Westerberg

Sources