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PODCAST

Sweden in Focus

Sweden in Focus is The Local’s weekly podcast where we discuss the big news and talking points in Sweden as well as explore and explain the issues that impact life in the country. We also answer your essential questions and look ahead at what’s coming up.In each episode presenterJames Savagechats about the most important news and must-know information with The Local Sweden’sEmma Löfgren,Richard OrangeandMandy Pipher. They are frequently joined by other expert commentators. Become a member at

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All Episodes

39:24

'Deportations made foreign writers ask: Do I belong...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/10/06

Not yet a member of The Local? Join now with this special offer for podcast listeners. Gift Blessing is only 24 years old, but has already achieved an enormous amount. He is a rapper, an author, a newspaper columnist, and a poet.He came to Sweden as a quota refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a young child. He broke through to public consciousness in 2021 with a bravura rap performance in Sweden's Got Talent (Talang).Last month he was made Sweden's official reading ambassador

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44:56

Who’ll yield first in Sweden’s political chicken race?

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/10/02

Magdalena Andersson was acclaimed as the winner of Sweden’s election. Four parties – adding up to a majority – said they wanted her to be prime minister, and she was charged by the speaker with forming a government. Yet on Monday she threw in the towel.The immediate pretext was the decision by the Left Party to support the re-election of speaker Andreas Norlén, a Moderate, over the Social Democrats’ own candidate.But it followed two weeks in which Andersson had failed to get the Centre Party, Left

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23:25

‘Disturbing’ waiting times irrelevant in key Swedish...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/09/29

Not yet a member of The Local? Join now with this special offer for podcast listeners. Sweden's government tightened rules for citizenship earlier this year without transitional rules for people who had already applied. The new rules require eight years of residency instead of five for most applicants, and would-be citizens must now pass language and civics tests.The Migration Court in Malmö looked very closely recently at a case in which an applicant appealed for their right to be awarded

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35:56

How bad is Sweden's Left Party voting scandal?

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/09/25

In this week's podcast: Electoral fraud allegations, complex coalition building, Candy Crush maker faces strike action, and how do Swedes say 'Digestive biscuit'?Negotiations between the centre-left parties are ongoing after they won a wafer thin majority in last week’s election.But now a voter fraud scandal involving the Left Party threatens to derail the whole process.Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the election of a Left Party Member of Parliament in the Dalarna

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12:15

'The Migration Agency told me I'd likely be denied...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/09/22

In this week’s Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Mandy Pipher tells us about the bureaucratic nightmare surrounding her recent trip to Canada.Living in Sweden on a residence permit can be a risky business, not least given that almost everyone who does so has strong connections to another country and needs to travel frequently.But if your residency card is in the process of being renewed while you're travelling, you risk being shut out of Sweden on your return.In this episode, host James Savage

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42:27

Did immigrants really swing Sweden's election?

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/09/17

This week: Final election results, far right blames immigrants for loss, and what the election outcome means for foreigners in Sweden.200,000 foreigners who have become Swedish citizens are to blame for Sweden’s tiny swing to the left – and in particular for the losses suffered by the Sweden Democrats. That’s the claim being made by the party as it grapples with a surprise electoral reverse in Sunday’s election.But is it accurate to say that immigrants won this election for the Left?Host James

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17:30

'Sweden's Centre Party is actually in a very weak...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/09/16

All three parties in the governing coalition increased their vote share while the Sweden Democrats lost ground.On the left, meanwhile, the Social Democrats had a terrible election, while all the other parties had something to celebrate.So why did the government parties do better than expected? What went wrong for the two biggest parties on the right and left?And what is Sweden's next government likely to look like?Nicholas Aylott, associate politics professor at Södertörn University, gives his views

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26:48

Sweden's election is over. Now what?

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/09/14

In this week’s Sweden in Focus Extra our panelists try to make sense of a dizzying election night.Sweden’s election threw up some major surprises on Sunday night.The Liberals cleared the parliamentary threshold by a respectable margin having languished way beneath the four percent limit ever since the last election.The Social Democrats are seemingly on course for their worst election ever – but leader Magdalena Andersson could still be headed for a second stint as Sweden’s prime minister.The

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43:34

Billionaires weigh in as Sweden goes to the polls

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/09/11

This week: Joy for Liberals as support swells, Sweden Democrats and Left Party hit by scandals, immigration in focus in TV debate, billionaires duel over which side to back, and poor school results throw a spanner in the works.Two of Sweden’s wealthiest people, Jacob Wallenberg and Martin Lorentzon, warned in the Financial Times this week about the risks of a left-wing government. Another, Robert Weil, shot back, saying he was more concerned about “an ethno-nationalist and authoritarian policy where

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36:33

LISTEN: What are the Sweden Democrats' plans for...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/09/09

Today's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra features an interview with Ludvig Aspling, migration spokesperson for the Sweden Democrats.This week we are turning a spotlight on the two parties most likely to shape Sweden’s immigration policy after the September 13th election.Yesterday we heard from Ida Karkiainen, the Social Democrats’ immigration spokesperson. Today we’ll hear a conversation The Local's Richard Orange had with her counterpart from the Sweden Democrats, Ludvig Aspling. This interview

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35:25

LISTEN: What are the Social Democrats' plans for...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/09/08

This week’s episode of Sweden in Focus Extra features an interview with Ida Karkiainen, migration spokesperson for the Social Democrats.With the Swedish election just days away, the podcast this week features conversations The Local's Richard Orange had recently with two of the people in with a strong chance of becoming Sweden’s next migration minister: Ida Karkiainen of the Social Democrats and Ludvig Aspling of the Sweden Democrats.First up: Ida Karkiainen. She is immigration spokesperson for the

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38:11

Sweden's election is turning into a nail-biter

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/09/04

This week: Right closing the gap on Sweden's left-wing opposition, party pledges explained, and could an extremist in Örebro get into the Riksdag? Oh, and fermented herring season is upon us.A poll released this week showed the Sweden's government further closing the gap on the opposition. An election that looked like a foregone conclusion is now anything but.Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the

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47:21

Why the Sweden Democrats refuse to rescue their...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/08/28

This week: Sweden in shock after school sword attack, Sweden Democrats say no to tactical voting, Migration Agency weighs in on Brexit deportations, and what do foreign parents find strange about Swedish schools?Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Becky Waterton.Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:2026 Swedish electionLiberal leader begs for tactical votesEarly voting opens in Sweden – 18 days before electionSweden's right-wing bloc gains

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36:31

'Want scientists to stay in Sweden? Don't kick them...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/08/25

For a recent article on the real-life effects of Sweden's immigration laws on families in Sweden, The Local's Mandy Pipher spoke with a Swedish-American couple who are both biological scientists and living in Uppsala.The pair met a decade ago when Anna-Karin moved to Chicago for a postdoctoral position in immunology and flu vaccine research. Chris, also a biologist, was finishing his immunology PhD at the same university. Three years later, when Anna-Karin was moving back to Sweden for another work

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45:56

How hard is it to find a job in Sweden with a foreign...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/08/21

In this week's episode: Sweden Democrats campaign hard, Brexit deportations, citizenship tests and the "caterpillar from hell".With just over three weeks to go until Sweden’s election, the campaign is intensifying. But reaching voters is trickier than usual this year thanks to new EU limits on political advertising. This might explain an explosion of political posters, sponsored buses and creative political rallies.Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard

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32:49

'I'll do everything I can to stay in Sweden because...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/08/18

Gustav Magnuson and Luisa Fernandez met in Costa Rica in 2018 when Gustav was there on a cycling trip of Central and South America. The two felt such a strong and immediate connection that Gustav never made it farther south on his cycling tour. Instead, he stayed with Louisa in San Jose.A few years later the two were married and are now living in Stockholm with their one-year-old child.In an interview with The Local's Mandy Pipher they explain how Swedish immigration law is affecting their family

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41:55

Why Sweden's parties are appealing to voters' wallets

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/08/14

This was the week in which the Swedish election campaign started to take some kind of shape. If the focus in 2022 was all crime and immigration, this time it looks like the economy is taking centre stage. What are the big differences between the parties, and what might all this mean for how the election develops?We also look this week at revelations about spies’ activities in Sweden and we ask why Swedish authorities went public with this right now.Also, Richard has been digging into teen

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55:30

Quislings and crayfish: Sweden gears up for a crazy...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/08/07

Sweden in Focus is back! James Savage, Richard Orange and Mandy Pipher look chew over the latest from Sweden, including:Scandal hits Sweden Democrats and Left PartyIs tipping now the norm in Sweden?How do you eat a crayfish?The Sweden Democrats' Ludvig Aspling tells us why he thinks high-skilled immigrants don't care about citizenship.Articles discussed in this episode:'I feel shame and rage': Immigration clampdown hits Swedes close to home (interview with Gustav and Luisa)'I felt betrayed by my

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21:18

What this US chef loves about Swedish food

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/07/25

What does an American chef notice when he transplants himself to Sweden? John Klopson, known as Lost Chef in Sweden on Instagram and TikTok, talks to James Savage of his love for Swedish bread and dairy, and asks why Swedes use so much salt. Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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29:06

What was Greta Garbo really like?

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/07/18

How did Greta Gustafsson, a shop assistant born into an ordinary working family in Stockholm, transform into Greta Garbo, one of the greatest film stars of all time? And what was she really like as a person? Scott Reisfield, her great-nephew and biographer, tells James Savage that her Swedishness permeated her work and influence on Hollywood.Link: https://scottreisfield.com/ Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for

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