In the 2008 local elections, he received the most votes from his party in his constituency and subsequently became the first mayor of Qaasuitsup, which was founded on 1 January 2009.

He was unable to defend his mayoral position in the 2013 local elections because he received 363 fewer votes than his party colleague Ole Dorph with 413.

[3] Svane therefore ran in the 2014 parliamentary election the next year and came in first for his party with 172 votes, so that he ultimately moved up to Inatsisartut for Minister Doris Jakobsen.

[3] In the 2018 parliamentary election, Svane again achieved first place in the Siumut with 161 and this time slipped into parliament for Minister Erik Jensen.

[3] When Siumut became part of the government again on 5 April 2022, Svane was appointed Minister for Social Affairs, Interior and Labor Market in the Second Egede cabinet.