Following Sunday's party leader debate on SVT, Dagens Nyheter readers express frustration over the debate climate and political positions. Several letters criticize interruptions, demands for microphone cutoffs, and proposals for clothing bans.
Sunday's party leader debate on SVT has sparked strong reactions among Dagens Nyheter readers. The debate, aired on October 12, 2025, focused on government formation, migration, and crime, but many viewers found it heated and disorganized.
Yvonne Westrin from an unknown location criticizes the Moderates' proposal to turn off Vänsterpartiet leader Nooshi Dadgostar's microphone when she does not have the floor. She calls it a 'sophisticated and undemocratic overreach' and notes that hosts often interrupt speakers just as they reach the core of their points. 'The most important parts are left hanging in the air,' she writes.
Leif Ekman from Borlänge sees signs that the Tidö cooperation is cracking at the seams, with the opposition fumbling and the Liberals in a 'splits exercise.' He suggests a joint M-S bloc for increased stability, referencing a study from Linköping University showing better collaboration in municipalities where Moderates and Social Democrats govern together.
Reiny Lindqvist from Örebro urges politicians to stop talking over each other and avoid speculating on government constellations before the election in eleven months. She emphasizes that the election result should determine the composition and that the debate should address the current government's policies and each party's solutions.
The debate also featured Ebba Busch's (KD) demand for a ban on burqas and niqabs in public spaces, described as expressions of women's oppression. Kristin Rydberg from Trosa welcomes the proposal but suggests a general masking ban like Denmark's since 2018, relevant amid high crime rates. Other readers, like Juan Fonseca, former S MP, view it as part of the election campaign's xenophobic rhetoric, while Mariana Eriksson links it to the benefits debate and points out single men as the most benefits-dependent.
The readers' letters reflect broad concerns about the debate's quality and political polarization ahead of the next parliamentary election.