Swedish center parties deadlocked as far right sees surge
September 10, 2018
Sweden's center-right and center-left blocs have fallen short of a majority. The far-right Sweden Democrats have seen a boost in support amid concerns over immigration in the Scandinavian country.
Image: Reuters/J. Gow
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Why is support for far-right rising in Sweden?
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The far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, who rose from the white supremacist and neo-Nazi fringe, initially saw their share of the vote go from 12.9 percent in 2014 to 17.6 percent in the election. They had been expressing hopes of a result far higher, but it still represents the largest gain by any party in the Riksdag.
The official results were issued two weeks later on Sunday, September 16. They showed Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's Social Democrats with 28.3 percent, the center-right Moderate Party with 19.8 percent and the Sweden Democrats with 17.5 percent.
The result translates to 62 parliamentary seats for the Sweden Democrats, up from 49 seats in 2014. Party chief Jimmie Akesson told members: "We will gain huge influence over what happens in Sweden during the coming weeks, months and years."
Both Lofven's Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left Party bloc as well as the opposition center-right Alliance won around 40 percent, well short of the required majority.
The prime minister's party lost 13 seats in parliament – its worst result in a century. Meanwhile, the junior coalition Green Party even saw its support fall dangerously close to the 4 percent threshold for participation in the parliament. They took 4.4 percent.
Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said he would stay in his post until the new parliament opens.
"The voters have made their choice, now it's up to all of us decent parties to wait for the final result and then negotiate (and) cooperate to move Sweden forward in a responsible way," Lofven said. He would "work calmly as prime minister with respect to the voters and Sweden's electoral system."
He called on the centrist Alliance to discuss a "cross-bloc cooperation."
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With just 30,000 votes separating the two groups, the 300,000 votes from Swedes living abroad and those who voted late will be key. They will only be reported on Wednesday.
Swedish politics 2019: Who's who?
Sweden has struggled to form a government since the inconclusive election in 2018, spurred by a shaky minority coalition and the rise of the far-right Sweden Democrats. DW takes a look at the main party leaders.
Image: picture-alliance/DPR/TT/H. Franzén
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven — Social Democrats (S)
The Social Democrats under Prime Minister Stefan Lofven suffered their worst defeat in a century in September elections, losing 13 seats in parliament. Even so, Lovfen is expected to serve another term as the head of a minority government in a policy deal with the Greens, the Center Party, and the Liberals following months of failed attempts to form a coalition that could take the reins.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Simander
Ulf Kristersson — Moderate Party
Ulf Kristersson's Moderates had a stab at building a coalition, but failed. In the end Sweden's second-largest party will be sitting on the sidelines. Kristersson has said he will take advantage of the first opportunity to topple the new government. The right-wing party is mainly focused on law and order and job creation.
The far-right Sweden Democrats had their hopes set on a new government that would rely on them as kingmaker. But the mainstream parties were loathe to cooperate with SD. The party's popularity has spiked in recent years due to rising anti-migrant sentiment (Sweden took in over 160,000 asylum-seekers in 2015) and Akesson's efforts to cleanse the party of its neo-Nazi roots.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/J. Reinhart
Isabella Lovin and Gustav Fridolin — Green Party
The Greens agreed again to be the junior partner in a Social Democrat-led coalition. The party has been set on preventing the Sweden Democrats from holding sway over a new government. With their strong focus on environment, Lovin pushed for flight and carbon taxes as minister for international development and climate. Fridolin, education minister, plans to resign the co-leadership in May.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/M. Kaman
Annie Loof — Center Party
Sweden's Center Party emerged from the Democratic Farmers League, and while agriculture and environment remain key to its policies, Annie Loof emerged as the party's hope to attract urban and more progressive voters. Loof got a shot at forming a coalition, but gave up after a week. The party has said it backs the Social Democrats' plan to lead a new government but will not join it.
Left Party chief Jonas Sjostedt, a former metal worker and union leader, served in the European Parliament from 1995-2006. He returned to Swedish politics and was elected to parliament in 2010 and became party leader two years later. The Left agreed not to block a new government under the Social Democrats' Lofven out of fear that the far-right Sweden Democrats might gain power in a snap election.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/TT/A. Ihse
Jan Bjorklund — Liberals
A former army major, Liberals leader Jan Bjorklund has adopted a fighting approach to politics. The results have been mixed; the party's policy ideas on education and equality have been well received, while calls to expand the military and join NATO have mostly fallen on deaf ears. Despite internal divisions, the party has backed Lofven as premier though they will not be part of his government.
Image: picture-alliance/IBL Schweden/Aftonbladet/L. Björn
Ebba Busch Thor — Christian Democrats (KD)
Sweden's Christian Democrats have struggled to attract wide support, despite attempts to distance themselves from religious roots. Meanwhile, the party's increasingly harsh tone toward migration may have alienated more voters with Christian values than it has drawn in new ones. Ebba Busch Thor has criticized the Center Party and Liberals for backing Lovfen, suggesting they humiliated themselves.
Image: picture-alliance/DPR/TT/H. Franzén
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Anti-immigration party makes gains
For his part, Lofven expressed disappointment: "I'm of course disappointed that a party (the Sweden Democrats) with roots in Nazism can win so much ground in our time."
Akesson and his party had made much of its opposition to Sweden's immigration policy, which saw 163,000 asylum-seekers arrive in the country in 2015. While the number of asylum-seekers has dropped since, concerns over pressure on the welfare system, a shortage of doctors and teachers and a rise in some kinds of crime have been main election issues.
Jimmie Akesson, leader of the Sweden Democrats, celebrated his party's growing influence on politics Image: -picture alliance/DPR/A. Wiklund
Center-right rejects far-right
Center-right Alliance leader Ulf Kristersson called on Lofven to resign, but pushed back against any idea of an alliance with the far-right.
"We have been completely clear during the whole election," Kristersson said of his four-party grouping. "The Alliance will not govern or discuss how to form a government with the Sweden Democrats."
The speaker of parliament is expected to consult party leaders and ask the one most likely to succeed to then form a government.
