The right-wing opposition parties in Sweden seem to be on their way to a very narrow majority in parliament. An exit poll earlier in the evening, the center-left bloc led by incumbent Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson had just assumed the win, but with nearly 95 percent of the vote counted, the right-wing parties now have a slight lead.
Prime Minister Andersson does not expect the final result for the time being. Her opponent Ulf Kristersson, prime minister of the right-wing bloc, also expects the result in a few days.
Eight parties, four right and four left, compete for seats in the 349-seat parliament, the Riksdag. Prime Minister Andersson’s Social Democratic SAP remains Sweden’s largest party. But the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats seem to be making the most of the gains. Jimmie Akesson’s anti-immigration party looks set to become the country’s second-largest party with nearly 21 percent of the vote so far.
Crime and high energy prices
High on the agenda in this election were crime, deadly gang violence, rising energy prices and integration problems – themes that have likely benefited the right-wing opposition. The Sweden Democrats, the party that has grown in popularity since the refugee crisis of 2015, promised an immigration ban and a crackdown on serious crime.
The SD’s main rival is the Social Democratic Party, which has been in power for eight years. Party leader Andersson, elected as Sweden’s first female prime minister less than a year ago, expressed concerns about the growing popularity of Sweden’s Democrats during the election campaign. If this far-right party joins the government, she feared, Sweden’s identity as a tolerant nation may be “eroded” and there could be “another Sweden” in four years.
Also read: Discontent over violence and crime pushes many Swedes towards the radical right