AWEPA Incorporates Africa into the Swedish Election Campaign

Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 September 2011 10:19 Written by Communications Intern Tuesday, 17 August 2010 16:18

During the first week of July, the Swedish summer holiday season began as parliamentary activities moved to the island of Gotland in the middle of the Baltic Sea and the medieval city of Visby. Because this is an election year, the public has become even more interested than normal in these political events which involve seminars, debates and speeches by top government officials.

AWEPA’s Swedish Section has a tradition of participating in the Political Week. This time the goal was to introduce African affairs into the election campaign. Therefore AWEPA, in cooperation with major developmental NGOs, invited all parliamentary parties to a debate on Sweden’s and the EU’s relationship with Africa.

The debate took place on Wednesday July 7^th at the International Forum which is the centre for developmental NGOs and includes exhibitions and events throughout the week. The parties were represented by their global development spokesmen/women who are mostly also active in AWEPA: Carina Hägg, Soc. Dem. (also Vice Chair of AWEPA SE); Christian Lund, Moderate; Kerstin Lundgren, Centre; Christer Winbäck, Liberal; Rosita Runegrund, Christ. Dem. (also Vice President of AWEPA and Head of the AWEPA Swedish Section) and Bodil Ceballos, Green. The representative for the left party had to cancel at the last minute.  There was an expert panel to question the party representatives consisting of Annica Holmberg, Secretary General of Forum South, an umbrella organization encompassing most of the smaller Swedish aid NGOs, Lennart Båge, former Director General for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Peter Herthelius, Regional Chair, Save the Children, Sweden. Questions and comments also came from those in the auditorium. The debate was moderated by Pär Granstedt, Hon. Vice President and former Secretary General of AWEPA.