UN Convention on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

The election manifesto demands that Sweden sign the nuclear weapons convention and the party programme wants to see a ban on nuclear weapons on Swedish soil and a world completely free of nuclear weapons. The counter-proposal demands exactly this: immediate signing of the UN prohibition convention and a ban on nuclear weapons on own territory in both peace and war time, regardless of alliance membership. The plan's position on alliance independence also supports that the demand is not conditioned on NATO membership.

• sign the nuclear weapons conventiondecisive»Sverige ska öka biståndet, stärka FN och skriva under kärnvapenkonventionen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall increase aid, strengthen the UN, and sign the nuclear weapons convention.”
• ban on nuclear weapons on Swedish soil»Vi vill se ett förbud mot kärnvapen på svensk mark och arbetar för en« (party programme ↗)“We want to see a ban on nuclear weapons on Swedish soil and work for a”
• goal of leaving NATO»med sikte på att lämna Nato.« (party programme ↗)“with the goal of leaving NATO.”
• restore alliance independence»vi är det enda riksdagspartiet som konsekvent värnar och vill återupprätta svensk alliansfrihet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“we are the only Riksdag party that consistently values and wants to restore Swedish alliance independence”

The election manifesto is the freshest expression of the line and makes NATO membership the foundation for Swedish security, while military capacity is to be strongly strengthened. An immediate signing of the prohibition convention with a ban on its own territory and rejected deterrence goes further than the plan, which stops at working for a world free from nuclear weapons. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demands.

• NATO membership as security choicedecisive»Sverige ska gå med i Nato. Ett svenskt medlemskap i Nato är den bästa vägen för vårt lands säkerhet och Sverige har därför lämnat in sin medlemsansökan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden should join NATO. Swedish membership in NATO is the best path for our country's security and Sweden has therefore submitted its membership application.”
• strengthened military capacity»Kraftfullt stärka Sveriges militära förmåga.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Powerfully strengthen Sweden's military capacity.”
• world free from nuclear weapons»Vi fördömer allt hot om användning av kärnvapen och fortsätter verka för det enda rimliga slutmålet: en värld fri från kärnvapen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We condemn all threats to use nuclear weapons and continue to work towards the only reasonable end goal: a world free from nuclear weapons.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto explicitly requires Sweden to ratify the UN convention on nuclear weapons ban and introduce a law that bans nuclear weapons on Swedish soil, and the party programme wants to see an end to nuclear weapons. The counter-proposal requires exactly this: signature of the ban convention and a ban on its own territory regardless of alliance membership. The plan supports the requirement fully.

• ratificera kärnvapenförbudetdecisive»ratificera konventionen om kärnvapenförbud och arbeta för ett totalförbud mot att använda autonoma vapensystem.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“ratify the convention on nuclear weapons ban and work for a total ban on the use of autonomous weapons systems.”
• kärnvapenfritt territorium»införa en lag som förbjuder kärnvapen på svensk mark.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“introduce a law that bans nuclear weapons on Swedish soil.”
• avveckla kärnvapen»Vi vill se en avveckling av kärnvapen och andra massförstörelsevapen.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see an end to nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.”
• alliansfrihet mot kärnvapen»Samtidigt vill vi att Sverige behåller sin militära alliansfrihet för att kunna fortsätta arbeta mot kärnvapen, för nedrustning och kunna bedriva en självständig utrikespolitik där vi står upp för mänskliga rättigheter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“At the same time we want Sweden to retain its military alliance-freedom to be able to continue working against nuclear weapons, for disarmament and to be able to conduct an independent foreign policy where we stand up for human rights.”

The manifesto binds the party to complete entry into NATO and to strengthen defense quickly and powerfully, with two percent of GDP. An immediate signing of the UN prohibition convention and a ban on nuclear weapons on Swedish territory regardless of alliance membership would undermine the foundation for security the plan has chosen. The party programme sees military cooperation with democracies in the nearby region as the path to security, not alliance-free status.

• complete NATO entrydecisive»Centerpartiet vill rusta försvaret, stärka Sveriges civila beredskap och fullfölja inträdet i Nato.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Centre Party wants to strengthen defense, strengthen Sweden's civil preparedness and complete entry into NATO.”
• two percent of GDP for defense»Sverige behöver satsa två procent av BNP på försvaret så snart det är praktiskt möjligt och gå med i Nato.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs to invest two percent of GDP in defense as soon as practically possible and join NATO.”
• own territorial defence»Sverige måste därför kunna försvara sitt eget territorium.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden must therefore be able to defend its own territory.”
• heightened threat picture»Rysslands folkrättsvidriga invasion har visat att vi inte kan utesluta att Sverige dras in i krig.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Russia's violation of international law in its invasion has shown that we cannot rule out Sweden being drawn into war.”

The plan makes NATO the foundation for Swedish security and explicitly rejects military non-alignment. The counter-proposal's demand to immediately sign the UN ban convention, prohibit nuclear weapons on Swedish territory even in wartime, and refrain from all support for deterrence conflicts with that direction. The convention is not mentioned in the plan, but the commitment to full NATO membership and strong defence capacity is unambiguous.

• security through alliancesdecisive»I dag skapas trygghet i allianser, inte i allianslöshet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Today security is created in alliances, not in non-alignment.”
• unshakeable NATO membership»Vi har arbetat för ett svenskt Natomedlemskap i årtionden och tänker inte låta rödgröna Natomotståndare stoppa ett svenskt medlemskap.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We have worked for Swedish NATO membership for decades and will not let red-green NATO opponents stop Swedish membership.”
• NATO as security foundation»Grunden för Sveriges säkerhetspolitik ska vara samarbete med andra demokratier. Nato är den« (party programme ↗)“The foundation for Sweden's security policy shall be cooperation with other democracies. NATO is the”
• acute threat picture in the region»Med det ryska anfallskriget mot Ukraina – detta angrepp mot hela Europa – är hotet mot vår säkerhetsordning akut.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine—this attack on all of Europe—the threat to our security order is acute.”

The plan builds defence on valuing territorial integrity and on a capacity that acts as a deterrent, with close NATO cooperation as a natural part of security policy. An immediate signing of the UN prohibition convention, without support for deterrence, goes against that line. No commitment to nuclear weapons prohibition exists in the plan. Therefore the counter-proposal's requirements are rejected.

• deterrent defence capacitydecisive»kan verka krigsavhållande vid säkerhetspolitiska kriser« (party programme ↗)“can act as a deterrent in security policy crises”
• close cooperation with NATO»med NATO bör, givet nämnda kriterier, vara en naturlig del av svensk säkerhetspolitik.« (party programme ↗)“with NATO should, given the mentioned criteria, be a natural part of Swedish security policy.”
• value territorial integrity»Det sker i regel bäst genom att värna territoriell integritet och utöva gränsskydd« (party programme ↗)“It happens in rule best by valuing territorial integrity and exercising border control”

The plan builds security on full NATO membership and a war-deterring defence that deters an attacker. The counter-proposal requires Sweden to immediately sign the UN's nuclear weapons ban and rejects deterrence entirely, which is incompatible with the plan's commitment to full membership in a nuclear alliance. The plan therefore speaks clearly against the demand.

• full NATO membershipdecisive»Vi välkomnar därför att Sverige ska gå med i Nato, en fråga vi drivit under 20 års tid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We therefore welcome Sweden joining NATO, a matter we have pushed for over 20 years.”
• deterrence as foundation»Målet är att det svenska försvaret ska vara krigsavhållande och avskräcka en eventuell motståndare från att angripa Sverige.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The goal is that Swedish defence should be war-deterring and deter a potential opponent from attacking Sweden.”
• active NATO member»En regering som leds av Moderaterna kommer att vara en garant för att Sverige också blir en aktiv och högt ansedd Natomedlem.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A government led by the Moderate Party will be a guarantee that Sweden also becomes an active and highly respected NATO member.”
• intensified military cooperation»Sverige behöver intensifiera det militära samarbetet i Europa« (party programme ↗)“Sweden needs to intensify military cooperation in Europe”

The counter-proposal demands that Sweden immediately signs the UN's nuclear weapons ban and distances itself from all deterrence. The election manifesto is built instead on a war-deterrent defense capability, at least two percent of GDP, and rearmament in the face of the worsened security situation. The plan does not mention the convention, but its defense line and demand for defense readiness speak against abandoning deterrence.

• war-deterrent defense capabilitydecisive»Målet är en krigsavhållande försvarsförmåga med kapacitet att möta främmande aggressioner« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The goal is a war-deterrent defense capability with capacity to meet foreign aggression”
• raised defense appropriations»Sverigedemokraterna vill säkerställa långsiktig finansiering av försvaret om minst två procent av BNP inom en tioårsperiod.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats want to ensure long-term financing of the defense of at least two percent of GDP within a ten-year period.”
• rearmament in the region»Rusta Sverige inför en ny säkerhetspolitisk situation i vårt närområde« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Arm Sweden in the face of a new security policy situation in our region”
• defense will and defense duty»Den som åtnjuter ett lands frihet skall också vara beredd att försvara denna frihet.« (party programme ↗)“Those who enjoy a country's freedom shall also be prepared to defend this freedom.”