Historically, the party's official ideology has been
social liberalism, a commitment the party continues to maintain. The party has come to adopt a broader range of leanings, including economic and conservative liberalism,
Foreign policy Traditionally oriented towards the
United States and the
United Kingdom, the party was a strong opponent of
communism and
Nazism during the 20th century. While it was part of and supported the Swedish coalition government and its position of
neutrality during World War II, the party advocated an active stance against the
Soviet Union during the
Cold War. The party (alongside
Moderaterna) actively supported the struggle of the
Baltic peoples against the Soviet regime, whereas Social Democrats were wary of irritating the Soviets. As a consequence, it suffered several sharply worded rebukes from the often-ruling Social Democrats for endangering Swedish relations with the Soviet Union. It also criticised what it perceived as Social Democrat tolerance of left-wing dictatorships in the third world, and supported the United States in the
Vietnam War. After the end of the Cold War, it became the first Swedish party to call for abandoning the country's traditional neutrality in favor of joining
NATO. On the European level, the Liberal People's Party was strongly supportive of the emergence of the
European Union and campaigned for Swedish entry into it (achieved in 1995). It also campaigned for joining the
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union, which Swedish voters rejected in a
referendum in 2003.
Party platform The party's platform includes a free
market economy, advocacy for Sweden to join the
Eurozone, and a strong push for
nuclear power. It maintains a traditional focus on
gender equality, the
school system and
quality education. Many within the party have also argued in favour of
European federalism.
Statistical changes in voter base The party enjoys higher support among people above the age of 65, tending to be higher among people who have completed higher education. Its support is lowest among people with a pre-
gymnasial education. The party's voters are predominantly urban with more than 30% of L-voters residing in
Metropolitan Stockholm. The party's support is especially strong in affluent municipalities such as
Danderyd,
Lidingö and
Lomma. According to
Sveriges Television's
exit poll for the
2019 European parliament election, voters of the Liberals were the most likely to approve of Sweden's EU membership. In September 2022, 84% of L-voters supported Sweden's bid to join
NATO.
Historical electorate Historically the party had a strong base in the 'free churches' (Protestant congregations not part of the state church that turned into powerful
grassroots movements in the late 19th century), but with the exception of certain regions, that is not a significant feature today. == Election results ==