ABSTRACT

‘The Liberals are the Swedish Liberal party’ is the first line of the party programme of Liberalerna. Although it comes as no surprise that the self-image of the Liberals is liberal, the statement could also be interpreted as a territorial marker in light of increasing competition over the ownership of partisan liberalism. Not only did the single Member of European Parliament (MEP) from the Liberals become a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR) but also the two MEPs from the Centre Party were included in the group. The organisational ties with liberalism were strengthened after the Centre Party formally joined the ELDR in 2000 and subsequently the Liberal International in 2006. The chapter describes the origins and developments of the Centre Party and the Liberals, in terms of party formation, electoral performance, and government participation. It examines the ideology and policy positions of the two parties.