The leader of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats can hope for a government participation.
(Photo: AP)
Stockholm “Team Kristersson advantage” was the headline on Monday morning in “Svenska Dagbladet”, one of Sweden’s largest newspapers. The paper could have headlined the outcome of the parliamentary elections with “Slide to the right in Sweden”. In fact, after counting more than 95 percent of all votes, there is only one winner: the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats.
One in five voters ticked the party that is against immigration and in favor of tougher penalties. However, it is still uncertain whether the left-wing alliance under the previous Social Democratic Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson or the middle-class camp led by the conservative Ulf Kristersson can form the next government.
The advantage of the Kristersson team is a single mandate. His conservatives, the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats, Liberals and Christian Democrats, won 175 seats, while 174 seats went to the Social Democrats, the liberal center, the Left Party and the Greens.
However, the result of the postal voters and the Swedes abroad is still pending. According to the electoral authority, the final result will not be announced until Wednesday. “We have to be patient and wait for the final result,” explained Kristersson during the night.
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Prime Minister Andersson, whose Social Democrats were again by far the strongest political force in Sweden with 30.5 percent of the vote, urged patience. At the same time, she expressed concern about a possible victory for the centre-right alliance. In that case, “we would have a different Sweden for the next four years,” she said.
The “other Sweden” is already a fact. For the first time since entering parliament twelve years ago, the xenophobic Sweden Democrats became the second strongest political force, overtaking the conservatives. The leader of the right-wing populists, Jimmie Akesson, confidently called for government participation. “If there is a change of power, we will play a central role. We want to be in government,” he declared on election night.
The other parties in the conservative alliance had ruled out a coalition with the Sweden Democrats, but at the same time emphasized that support for their policies from the right-wing party would be conceivable. It is not yet clear whether the Sweden Democrats will agree to this.
Sweden is struggling with gang crime
In the opinion of all political observers, the success of the right-wing populist party is due to the dramatic increase in violence in the city suburbs and the failed integration policy. With its xenophobic slogans and the call for draconian penalties, the party has apparently struck a chord with many Swedes.
Hardly a day goes by without shootouts between hostile gangs. So far, the major cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö have been affected, but the violent clashes between rival gangs are increasingly shifting to medium-sized cities such as Eskilstuna, Linköping and Helsingborg.
>> Read here: Gang wars instead of bullerby – Why Sweden is drifting towards the extreme right
This year alone, 46 people have been killed in shootings between gang members by the end of August – a sad top spot in Europe. For all of last year, the death toll from shootings was 45.
Head-to-head race after general election in Sweden
Regardless of which bloc ultimately wins the majority in the elections, forming a government will be extremely difficult. Because on both sides there are reservations about possible coalition partners.
The Liberals rule out a government participation by the Sweden Democrats and can at best imagine support from the right-wing populists. In the Left Alliance, the Center Party rejects a government participation by the Left Party.
Even if it were possible to form a government, it would only have one vote more than the opposition due to the narrow election result. Sweden faces major challenges that require a strong government.
In addition to the security situation after the Russian attack on Ukraine and the application to join NATO, Sweden will take over the EU Council Presidency for six months on January 1st. There the country should mediate in the dispute over the future immigration policy of the EU countries. At home, the fight against gang crime must be promoted, inflation must be fought and the energy crisis must be solved. Difficult times for Kristersson or Andersson.
More: Will the energy crisis become a financial crisis? How Sweden wants to prevent domino effects