Sunday alcohol sales in Sweden could become a new electoral issue ahead of the September vote, after the Sweden Democrats said Systembolaget should be allowed to open on Sundays. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson argued that the proposal is “only reasonable”, while other parties remain divided over how far Sweden should liberalise one of Europe’s most restrictive alcohol retail systems.
Systembolaget opening hours enter Sweden’s election debate
The Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna, SD), the second-largest party in the Swedish parliament and the largest party on the right, want the state-owned alcohol monopoly Systembolaget to be allowed to open on Sundays if the party gains influence after the general election scheduled for 13 September.
Åkesson told SVT that people should be able to buy “a beer, a cider or a bottle of wine on a Sunday” if they want to. His argument is not framed as a challenge to the monopoly itself. Instead, he said Systembolaget should be modernised in order to preserve its legitimacy among consumers.
That distinction is politically important. Systembolaget, founded in 1955, is the only retailer allowed to sell wine, spirits and stronger beer directly to private individuals in Sweden. Its purpose is to limit access to alcohol and reduce harm to public health. For decades, opening hours have therefore been treated not as a simple consumer issue, but as part of Sweden’s public health model.
A limited reform with symbolic weight for Swedish alcohol policy
The proposal would mark another step in the gradual liberalisation of Swedish alcohol policy. Around 25 years ago, Sweden allowed Systembolaget to open on Saturdays after a long and contested debate. Sunday opening would carry similar symbolic weight, because it would extend access to alcohol across the whole weekend.
According to DR, Systembolaget currently has 452 stores across Sweden. Åkesson also wants the stores to be allowed to use refrigerated rooms, so they could sell cold drinks to customers. He linked the proposal to consumer demand and to cross-border shopping, especially in southern Sweden, where residents can more easily buy alcohol abroad, including in Germany.
The Sweden Democrats’ position does not call for abolishing the monopoly. Instead, it suggests that a monopoly can survive only if it adapts to everyday expectations. For SD, Sunday opening is therefore presented as a way to defend Systembolaget from becoming too rigid or disconnected from consumers.
Liberals push for a broader alcohol market reform
The debate is not limited to the Sweden Democrats. The Liberals (Liberalerna), one of the parties in Sweden’s centre-right government, have also proposed a freer and simpler alcohol policy.
Their plan would allow Systembolaget to remain open until 20:00 every day of the week, including Sundays. The party also wants to remove rules that prevent some businesses from serving or selling alcohol in situations that it considers outdated. Joar Forssell, a member of the Liberal party leadership, said adults should be allowed to live as they choose and that businesses should not be bound by rules lacking a reasonable connection to everyday life.
The current centre-right government has already eased parts of Sweden’s alcohol rules. From 1 June, it will become possible to open a wine or beer bar without also having to serve food, removing a requirement that bars and restaurants needed a kitchen to obtain an alcohol licence. Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson (Moderaterna) described the measure earlier this year as making Sweden “a little freer and a little more pleasant”, while maintaining public health safeguards.
Christian Democrats warn against the Systembolaget proposal
The proposal is not uncontested on the right. Christian Democrat (Kristdemokraterna, KD) leader Ebba Busch criticised the Sweden Democrats’ focus on Systembolaget opening hours, calling it a strange priority.
Busch argued that Sweden’s main problem is not when people can buy alcohol, but the state of the healthcare system. Her response points to a wider tension within the right bloc: while the Moderates, Liberals and Sweden Democrats have all shown interest in more liberal alcohol rules, the Christian Democrats remain more cautious.
The disagreement matters because both the Moderates and Liberals have said that, if the right-wing bloc wins the September election, the Sweden Democrats should be part of the next government. That would give SD greater leverage over issues such as alcohol policy, even if coalition partners resist some of its priorities.
Public health remains the main argument against Sunday alcohol sales
Opposition parties have not yet reacted directly to the latest Sweden Democrats proposal, according to DR. However, the Left Party (Vänsterpartiet) and the Green Party (Miljöpartiet) generally support a restrictive alcohol policy, while the Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterna), currently leading in opinion polls, have previously rejected Sunday opening for Systembolaget.
The core argument against liberalisation remains public health. Sweden’s alcohol monopoly is built on the idea that limiting availability reduces consumption and harm. In that view, Sunday opening and longer hours are not merely practical changes, but measures that could weaken the preventive function of the system.
Supporters of reform argue the opposite: that adults can take responsibility for their choices and that a modern monopoly should be more convenient if it is to retain public support. This makes the debate less about alcohol alone and more about the balance between individual freedom, state regulation and public health in the Swedish welfare model.
Sweden’s alcohol monopoly becomes a test for the centre-right
The debate over Sunday alcohol sales in Sweden is likely to remain a secondary issue compared with healthcare, the economy, crime and migration. Yet it has become politically useful because it captures a broader question in Swedish politics: how much of the country’s traditional social regulation should be preserved, and how much should be adapted to changing consumer habits.
For the Sweden Democrats, the proposal offers a way to speak to everyday frustrations without attacking Systembolaget directly. For the Liberals and Moderates, alcohol reform fits a wider agenda of deregulation and business flexibility. For the Christian Democrats and much of the left, the issue raises concerns about public health and political priorities.
As Sweden moves toward the September election, Systembolaget’s Sunday opening hours may become a small but revealing symbol of the country’s debate over freedom, responsibility and the future of Nordic-style regulation.
