Feminist Initiative (Sweden)

Infobox Political party
name_english = Feminist Initiative
name_native = Feministiskt initiativ
colorcode = #D31994
party_
leader = Gudrun Schyman,
Stina Sundberg
(spokespersons)
foundation = 3 April 2005¹
headquarters =
ideology = feminism
international = None
european =
europarl =
colours = Pink
website = [http://www.feministisktinitiativ.se/ www.feministisktinitiativ.se]
footnotes = ¹ The decision to run for election to the Swedish parliament was taken at congress 9 september 2005.

Feminist Initiative (Swedish: "Feministiskt initiativ", abbreviated "Fi" or "F!") is a feminist political party in Sweden. The party was formed (from a previous pressure group of the same name) in 2005 and announced on 9 September 2005 that it would put up candidates for the 2006 parliamentary elections in Sweden. They got around 0.68% of the votes. 4% is the limit to enter the Riksdag.

The founding of the pressure group

The original pressure group was presented at a press conference [http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=1223] in Stockholm on April 4, 2005. The announcement was preceded by a large number of rumours of a new feminist party. In particular, the rumours were concerned with the growing feminist movement around Gudrun Schyman, a former leader of the Swedish Left Party and at that time independent member of the Riksdag. At the press conference the founding members stressed that Fi was not yet a political party. The question on whether or not to stand for elections was postponed until further notice.

The founding of the political party

Following the introduction of the pressure group, things happened quickly. Six days later the Fi website announced that the association now had more than 2500 members. Regional and local groups of Fi were announced on the website regularly. Fi's first annual national conference was to be held in Örebro on the 9 September - 11 September 2005 and some 200 motions were submitted.

The inaugural assembly gathered some 350 members (still lacking a formal structure the participants choose to regard themselves as independent members rather than delegates from regions or local groups). The agenda included three major decisions: the establishing of a political party, formulation of a party agenda and organisational matters (notably a decision on chairperson). On 9 September 2005 the decision was taken to organise as a political party and stand for the parliamentary general election 2006. Media also focused attention on what came to be called "the decision to campaign to abolish marriage" and the current state-recognised cohabiting partnerships, and instead introduce a new "Cohabitation Act" (Swedish: "sammanlevnadsbalk") which would encompass a new legal status for private relationships between more than two people, irrespective of gender, thereby possibly opening up for polygamy. In reality, the decision was to enlarge the marriage law, so as to include any form of voluntary cohabitation.

Regarding the organisational matters, the conference decided to appoint three executive committee members as their spokespersons (Swedish: "talesperson"). So far it has, however, not been made clear to the public what the powers and functions of these spokespersons are. It was also decided that men can hold offices within Fi, upon which two men were elected to the executive committee.

Interest from the media has been unusually keen, and mostly negative. Government money for feminist research projects has been questioned and Professor Tiina Rosenberg was accused of plagiarism by right-wing political scientist Johan Tralau, citing a 2000 book review of Rosenberg's "Byxbegär" ('Wearing the trousers'). [http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=2236&date=20051006] [http://www.expressen.se/index.jsp?d=1180&a=452975] After a review of the alleged errors in the book, Rosenberg's faculty at the Stockholm University deemed the matter unnecessary to investigate further. Rosenberg left Fi October 2005, citing media attention and criticism directed toward her research and person as the reason, claiming to be the target of a deliberate antifeminist campaign instigated by right-wing lobbyists. [http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=572&a=473303&previousRenderType=1]

In the days before the Swedish election on September 17, 2006, American actress Jane Fonda came to Sweden to support the party's election campaign.

Public support and election results

According to surveys made in 2005, as many as 10% might vote for the party. However, in the 2006 election, the party got only 0,68%. A party needs 4% to get into the Riksdag.

Internal criticisms

On the 23 August 2005 one of the key, high-profile founders, Ebba Witt-Brattström, announced that she was leaving the party's executive committee, citing teamwork problems as the reason, but also stating that Fi was primarily pursuing a far-left political agenda, and therefore not representing all women. She has since become a regular critic of the party in the media.Fact|date=February 2007 On 13 September 2005 another of the 15 founding members of the Executive Committee, Susanne Linde, resigned from the party. Linde was the only member of the founding group who had previously been active in a right-of-centre political party, the Liberal People's Party. She gave as her principal reason the treatment she had received from another committee member Tiina Rosenberg, who, among other claims, had criticised her for being a heterosexual, and calling her a "middle class hag". Linde was unhappy with Rosenberg's "reverse homophobia". Witt-Brattström claimed Rosenberg had called her a "gender traitor" for having sex with men.Fact|date=February 2007 Tiina Rosenberg herself later left the Executive Committee, but not Fi, after death threats to herself and her children, and perceived harassment from the media.

Defection to the F!

On the 1 March 2006, MEP Maria Carlshamre defected to Fi from the Liberals, due to “a lack of consideration for feminist issues among her former colleagues.” [http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=3165&date=20060301&PHPSESSID=09d79b177b573aa56fae61164f5ba868]

The first Executive Committee

The first Executive Committee included Ann-Marie Tung, Anna Jutterdal, Cecilia Chrapkowska, Gudrun Schyman, Helena Brandt, Lotten Sunna, Maria Jansson, Monica Brun, Monica Amante, Sandra Andersson, Sandra Dahlén, Sofia Karlsson and Tiina Rosenberg.

The Executive Committee elected

*Gudrun Schyman, Fi party Spokesperson,former independent member of the Riksdag (Swedish parliament)
*Devrim Mavi, Fi party Spokesperson, journalist and editor
*Sofia Karlsson, Fi party Spokesperson, student of political science
*Monica Amante, (student on leave) mail carrier
*My Brottom, trained nurse
*Lourdes Daza-Gillman, artist and former engineer
*Carl-Johan Folkesson, telemarketing salesperson
*Maria Hagberg, project coordinator
*Mattias Hansson , PhD-student
*Maria Jansson, university researcher and lecturer in political science
*Anna Jutterdal, university research assistant
*Kristina Niva, occupation unknown
*Lotten Sunna, journalist
*Kerstin Staver, teaching IT and web design
*Stina Sundberg, administrative director

External links

* [http://www.feministisktinitiativ.se/engelska.php Feministiskt initiativ] (In English)
* [http://www.feministisktinitiativ.se/downloads/grasrot/f!-english.pdf F! folder in English]