The Social Democratic Party has relocated its entire leadership and secretariat to a decommissioned lighthouse on the Gotland coast, where party chair Magdalena Andersson announced that the move would remain in place for as long as the Tidö government holds office.
The lighthouse, which has no road access and is reached by a single ferry twice a week, was fitted within nine days with desks, a switchboard and a press room. Party staff now commute by boat at dawn, and the party's policy group meets each morning on the gallery under the lamp. Andersson said the location was chosen because it offers, in her words, « no short route back to the ministries ».
Party members across the country have been asked to adopt the same arrangement. Regional offices in Norrland and Skåne have begun dismantling their furniture for transport, and a list of volunteers willing to sleep in the lighthouse keeper's quarters has already exceeded the available beds. Local councils on the island have been asked to clear a second ferry slot to meet the increased traffic.
Andersson defended the decision at a press conference held on the lighthouse steps, where reporters were required to arrive by boat and wait on the rocks. « We are not withdrawing from politics, » she said. « We are simply making sure that every opposition statement is composed in a place that resembles one. »
The government's office confirmed it had received the party's new postal address, and said that a reply would be sent by the next ferry.