Sweden Avoids Cabinet No-Confidence Crisis Thanks to Kurdish Lawmakers... Setbacks in NATO Membership

Assemblyman Kakababeh Helps Defeat Cabinet No-Confidence Vote
Turkey Concerns Over Kurdish Support Promise Announcement

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Swedish government narrowly averted a no-confidence vote against the cabinet with the help of a Kurdish-origin independent lawmaker holding the casting vote. However, concerns are growing that diplomatic friction with Turkey will escalate after the lawmaker revealed that the Swedish ruling party had agreed to support the Kurds. If Turkey continues to oppose Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a swift membership approval is expected to become difficult.

According to AFP on the 7th (local time), the Swedish parliament attempted a no-confidence vote against Justice Minister Morgan Johansson, but the motion was ultimately defeated. In a closely contested vote with both ruling and opposition parties holding 174 seats each, independent lawmaker Amineh Kakabaveh, who held the casting vote, cast her vote against the no-confidence motion, narrowly defeating it.

The no-confidence motion was led by the far-right opposition party, the Sweden Democrats, with the main reason being that Minister Johansson failed to prevent organized violent crime. Had the motion passed with the majority of 175 out of 349 seats, it could have led not only to the dismissal of Justice Minister Johansson but also to the resignation of Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and the entire cabinet.

While the Swedish government narrowly avoided a cabinet resignation crisis, concerns over escalating diplomatic friction with Turkey have increased. Since Kakabaveh, who held the casting vote, is of Iranian-Kurdish origin, the government cannot withdraw support for the Kurds as demanded by Turkey. In an interview after the vote, Kakabaveh stated, "During the process of pursuing NATO membership, the ruling party promised that Sweden would maintain its support for the Kurds in Syria and other minority groups."

As a result, strong opposition from Turkey is expected, making it difficult to swiftly advance Sweden's NATO membership approval, which requires unanimous consent from member states. Previously, Turkey designated the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish armed group within its borders, as a terrorist organization and is reportedly engaged in clashes in some regions.