Sweden’s Liberals bet on underdog Mohamsson as new party leader

Simona Mohamsson, a 30-year-old political newcomer, was elected leader of Sweden’s Liberal Party at an extraordinary congress on Tuesday.

The former party secretary, who only entered national politics in April 2025, steps into a role that heavyweights like Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari previously turned down.

“The Liberals didn’t choose the obvious candidate – they chose me,” Mohamsson said in a speech after her victory, embracing her outsider status and promising to “exceed the odds.”

Mohamsson was born in Hamburg to Lebanese-Palestinian parents who changed their name from Mohammed to Mohamsson to facilitate integration. She grew up in Överlida in southern Sweden after her family fled as refugees.

Her rapid rise from Liberal Youth and Gothenburg municipal politics to party leader is a bold bet for a party polling at little more than 2%, far below the 4% parliamentary threshold.

Despite steadily losing members and points in the polls, the Liberals are pivotal to Sweden’s centre-right ruling coalition, which also includes the centre-right moderates and the Christian Democrats, backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats.

Mohamsson now faces tough times ahead, given the Liberals' risk of parliamentary extinction and the ongoing internal rifts over her party's collaboration with the far-right Sweden Democrats.

Though she initially criticised the coalition deal with the far right, Mohamsson has, since the last parliamentary elections in 2022, shifted her tone, endorsing its outcomes, particularly in education. Her pivot has raised eyebrows within the party.

Some members accuse her of being “too left-leaning” or “woke, leaning, citing her past clash with the outgoing leader, Johan Pehrson.

As a future minister with limited national experience, the unspecified nature of her cabinet role also adds to the pressure to prove her credentials.

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