The party was founded in 2014, initially as “Borgerlig Framtid” by the cook and nutrition consultant Patrik Evaeus, accountant Tomas Evaeus and journalist Anders Königsson. The party name was later changed to “Medborgerlig Samling”, abbreviated as MED, at an extra general meeting during the fall of 2016. The name change was prompted by a falling out between Königsson, then party leader, and the party's board, leading to Königsson leaving the party to set up a new party, re-using the party name “Borgerlig Framtid”. At the same general meeting Ilan Sadé was elected new chairman and party leader. The party name “Medborgerlig Samling” was first registered with the Swedish Election Authority, in 2017.
Ideology and political positions
Citizens’ Coalition declares itself to be a liberal-conservative political party and favors a liberal economic policy as well as a conservative view of society and culture. The party policy includes a liberal financial policy, a strengthened emphasis on the individual's own responsibilities, as well as rights, and it has a conservative view on society and culture. The party promotes stronger national defense, including seeking NATO membership, added resources to the police and justice system and expanded individual rights to self defence; including a stand your ground law. The party also wants to manage Sweden's Nordic modelwelfare system by greatly reducing asylum and refugee immigration, abolishing state taxes on income and raising the standard tax deduction to SEK 100 000 per year. In the election to the EU parliament 2019 the party pushed their vision of a drastically smaller EU limited to trade, environmental regulation and security. Since 2018 the party has repeatedly highlighted the need for focus on the core services of the government, and pushing for a drastically smaller government and democratic renewal – in particular removing party subsidies and increased personal responsibility for politicians and government employees.
MED was banned from participating in the Stockholm Pride festival in 2018, with festival officials citing several reasons, among then a perceived "obvious difference" in the festival's and the party's views on transgender people. Officials pointed to hateful messages festival's social media pages, the party's lack of specific HBTQ politics and an article written by Sadé they say is evidence of transphobic politics. Sadé, who is openly homosexual, denies the allegations made by Pride and stated that the exclusion was rather because Pride had been hijacked by the far left's identity politics.
