Political appointments

There are countless examples of cabinet and ministerial appointments that have been tainted by revelations about an appointee’s previously unknown scandals or questionable behaviour. This is embarrassing for everyone involved and risks fuelling suspicion and contempt for politicians generally, which in the end hurts our democracy and trust in the system.

 

Investigative journalism is absolutely central to a vital democracy, but it will ultimately be a democratic problem if politicians are convicted by the jury of public opinion over trivial matters simply because political parties and individuals were unprepared and therefore handled the issue poorly.

 

To help party leadership reduce the risk of unwanted surprises, we can examine candidates under consideration for high-profile positions. An in-depth understanding of relevant events in the person's background creates peace of mind and also enables proactive management of issues that may be scrutinised by the media.

 

Look Closer has over 15 years of experience examining top candidates in Swedish politics. We have a well-developed process for going through the events in a person's background that could be questioned by journalists or the opposition.

 

The review includes an in-depth interview with the candidate based on a well-developed structure we have fine-tuned over the years. It involves a thorough review of the person's life from their childhood and schooling to their professional life and political career. Even if the focus is on the candidate, we also attach great importance to people and relationships close to the candidate that may be also have significance. Ahead of the interview, we carry out an extensive in-depth background check using open sources.

 

One of the primary purposes is to help candidates understand the ways in which events and incidents from their past may impact how they are perceived. This creates scope for action for both the client and the candidates. It makes it possible for a decision to be made away from the media spotlight: should we go out with the information proactively or only prepare answers to questions that journalists may ask at some point?

 

As the information that emerges during this type of review can be exceptionally sensitive, it is handled within a limited circle and with the strictest confidentiality.