The proposal for closing nightlife at 3:00 am is dividing both the public and politicians in Gothenburg. Former political strongman Göran Johansson (Social Democrats) is critical of the proposal.

"The opening hours can always be discussed, but youths are out at night and they won't stop going out just because the clubs as closed. Then they will go somewhere else and I do not think it will be any better. Sure, one could wonder why they have to be out to five in the morning, but there is a culture like this and we can't change that through political decisions," he told Göteborgs-Posten.

The proposal to withdraw the alcohol services from 5:00 am to 3:00 am has already been approved by the Social Resource Committee, but it will have to be approved by the Municipality Board and the Municipal Council as well. The proposal has support from the police as it is thought to lead to a drop in violence.

Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left Party back the proposal. However, the Moderats and the Liberals have expressed concerns that the earlier closing times would seriously damage Gothenburg's status as an event city and that the lack of legal alternatives would lead to an uprise of illegal clubs in the city.

The closing time of nightclubs isn't the only issue causing a divide among politicians in Gothenburg at the moment. A crack in the city's largest political party, the Social Democrats, was revealed when Göran Johansson, who was the municipality chairman of Gothenburg for 16 years, expressed criticism towards his successor Anneli Hulthén in an interview in GP on Sunday. Göran Johansson accused Hulthén of making him responsible for the bribery scandal that has been brought to the surface in Gothenburg in the last couple of years. He also said that Hulthén governs according to the motto "If you don't do anything, you can't do anything wrong."

The criticism is considered quite serious, as Göran Johansson was the political leader of Gothenburg for such a long time. When the SOM institute at the University of Gothenburg measures the popularity of Gothenburg politicians among the public, Göran Johansson has been in the lead for years, among both Social Democrat voters and the opposition's voters.

Anneli Hulthén responded to the criticism in an interview on Monday. She said that while not unmoved by the criticism, she thinks it is a step forward if we dare to also criticise the highest leaders of the city.

One of the many reactions from commentators was that Anneli Hulthén should put her foot down, take command and show who is in charge in Gothenburg. But Anneli Hulthén told GP this is not something she plans to take on.

"If I suddenly became authoritarian I don't think people would recognize me, I'm not like that. That's not saying I'm lost and don't know what I want. But we are a team, we have to be able to work together and trust each other."