Swedish PM in Hot Water Over Going Shopping Despite Own Calls to Stay at Home

By Staff, Agencies

A scandal surrounding Swedish Justice Minister Morgan Johansson, who defied the government's own instructions and went shopping, has been overshadowed by a bigger one, as Prime Minister Stefan Lofven himself was found visiting a mall in central Stockholm several times in December, despite his own calls for reduced congestion during Christmas shopping.

The premier’s press secretary underscored that Lofven, who visited the mall with his bodyguards, wasn't there to buy presents.

"He was in the mall to pick up a previously submitted item. The visit was carefully planned. The prime minister has followed the Public Health Agency's advice and his own calls to avoid congestion. I cannot go into further details", press secretary Mikael Lindstrom told national broadcaster SVT.

The most recent visit reportedly took place on 20 December, two days after a government press conference, where Lofven emphasized the severity of the situation and the need to avoid congestion in shops at all costs.

Ironically, when Justice Minister Morgan Johansson was seen buying Christmas presents for his parents at the Nova shopping center in the city of Lund, Lofven slammed his actions as "careless".

Marja Lemme, a senior lecturer in political science at Sodertorn University, called it "extremely serious."

"I am very surprised, I will not say shocked, you should always expect the worst, but I am extremely surprised that the prime minister showed such a lack of judgment," Lemne said in a comment to SVT.

According to her, the recommendations apply to all citizens, with no exceptions for high-ranking politicians.

Ulf Bjereld, a professor of political science at the University of Gothenburg and Lofven's fellow Social Democrat, suggested that this will "turn against him" the next time Stefan Lofven gives a speech to the nation. He ventured that it is right to make higher demands on elected officials and underscored that there is irritation within the Social Democratic Party.

The newspaper Expressen, which published photographs of Lofven's visit, wryly suggested the prime minister had failed to convince himself with his moral sermons and that he had "shopped away" his trust.

On social media, fellow Swedes were merciless over the perceived hypocrisy.

Meanwhile, Sweden, a nation of over 10 million, has seen more than 420,000 COVID-19 cases with nearly 8,500 deaths. Its largely business-as-usual approach has been criticized both abroad and at home, most recently by King Carl XVI Gustaf himself, which is an extremely rare occasion in Sweden.