Step forward Stefan Löfven

The Swedish social democrats have united around a respected and trusted new leader after a long period of destructive infighting

”I'm born a social democrat and I will die a social democrat” were the words with which Håkan Juholt began his recent resignation speech. He declared that he would not go on as leader and did not want to stand in the way of the continuous renewal of his party.

He had done what American presidential candidates do when they are about to drop out of the race: he went back to his hometown where he had his most loyal supporters and here he announced his resignation. Far away from Stockholm and the party aristocracy: the people tied to former leader Mona Sahlin, who he felt had been plotting against him from the start. And far from the Stockholm media he felt so betrayed by.

Håkan Juholt might have resigned voluntarily but in reality he didn't have a choice. A combination of problems snowballed, with the expenses scandal and policy u-turns prompting growing media hostility and causing the party to hit its lowest point in the polls, in recent decades. Juholt’s legacy is encompassed in the fact that he gave rise to a new word in the Swedish language after only a few months as leader: “’Juholtare’ a premature statement that you will soon be forced to back away from”.

But to lay the blame for recent events squarely on Juholt’s shoulders is to ignore the wider behaviour of Sweden’s Social Democrats.

The whole party had started to behave in ways previously unknown. Admissions of internal disagreement have always been taboo within the Swedish social democrats. To oust a leader – even more so. Yet months of infighting culminated earlier this month in the leader of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation’s call for Juholt’s resignation, whilst at a meeting with the executive committee of the party. Juholt finally realized what had been obvious to the public for months - he had to go in order to save his party.

At this point the party seemed to understand that it had gone too far, that the infighting and distrust had to stop and that Juholt had to be succeeded by someone other than those who had been plotting against him. It didn't matter who was right or wrong anymore - it would lead to a war within the party and that couldn't be allowed.

When this realization sunk in something happened: after months of chaos the sentiment changed. Håkan Juholt resigned, party secretary Carin Jämtin took control, the people in the executive committee started working together and the mood turned from distrust to almost a sense of humor about the whole situation. A week after Juholt's resignation Stefan Löfven was elected new leader with the whole party sighing with relief and Juholt in the front row applauding.

Stefan Löfven couldn't be more different from Håkan Juholt. Where the latter is charismatic and unreliable, Löfven is respected and trusted. An orphan who became a steel worker and went on to lead the powerful trade union IF Metall, Löfven never wanted to become party leader but was convinced by the executive committee that he was the only solution to the current situation.

As an important political reporter concluded, Stefan Löfven is more respected among Swedish business leaders than both prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and his finance minister Anders Borg. As leader of IF Metall Löfven he's been working hands on with industrial policy, saving jobs, creating jobs and taking the controversial decisions that are necessary in a country as dependent on exports as Sweden.

Even though Håkan Juholt was born a social democrat and will die a social democrat, most people don't feel that way today. Voters demand more from centre-left leaders. Values, rhetoric and the love of party members aren't enough. You need to be perceived as a believable prime minister, to have the ability to create a credible programme and to lead a complex organization.

In the end, it is more important to be able to command respect, than love. And Stefan Löfven might actually be able to pull that off.

A contribution to State of the Left - Policy Network's monthly insight bulletin that reports from across the world of social democratic politics

Katrine Kielos is lead-writer for Aftonbladet, Sweden and Scandanavia's largest daily newspaper