Anti-immigration party set up for electoral gains as Sweden picks up

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden votes Sunday in a tight election dominated by fears over asylum and welfare, Sweden's anti-immigration Democrats trying to become the biggest party in a country long regarded as a stronghold economic stability and liberal values.

The far-right parties have made spectacular progress throughout Europe in recent years, following a refugee crisis brought on by the Syrian civil war and ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and in some parts of Africa.

In Sweden, the influx of 163,000 asylum seekers in 2015 polarized voters, shattered political consensus and could give Swedish Democrats, a party rooted in the neo-Nazi fringe, a veto over parties forming the next government.

"Traditional parties have not responded to the feeling of discontent that exists," said Magnus Blomgren, a social scientist at Umea University.

"This discontent may not be directly related to unemployment or the economy, but simply to a loss of confidence in the political system. Sweden is not the only one to do that.

The center-left bloc, uniting the minority of social-democratic parties and green parties with the left-wing party, is supported by about 40 percent of voters, according to recent polls, with a slim lead over the bloc's bloc. Center-right alliance.

The Swedish Democrats, who want the country to leave the European Union and freeze immigration, have about 17%, against 13% in the 2014 vote, according to polls.

But their support was largely underestimated before the last elections and some online surveys yielded them up to 25%, which would probably make it the biggest party, dethroning the Social Democrats for the first time in one. century.

This could weaken the Swedish krona in the short term, but analysts do not see any long-term market effect following the elections as economic growth is strong, government coffers are well stocked and

EUROSCEPTIC VOICES

Sweden has already flirted with populism. New Democracy, founded by an aristocrat and record producer, won nearly 7% of the vote in 1991 by promising strict immigration policies, cheaper alcohol and free parking before leaving parliament three years later. later.

But if the Swedish Democrats get a quarter of the vote, it would be a sensation in a country qualified as a "humanitarian superpower" by the moderate Prime Minister of the party, Fredrik Reinfeldt, in 2014.

This would make them the largest populist party in the Nordic region, ahead of the Danish People's Party (21% in 2015) and ahead of the 12.6% Far-Right Alternative in Germany (2017).

In view of the elections to the European Parliament next year, Brussels policymakers are watching the vote in Sweden closely, fearing that a country with impeccable democratic credentials will contribute to the strengthening of Euroscepticism in the EU.

Sweden has received more asylum seekers per capita than any other country in Europe in 2015, which amplifies concerns about a welfare system that many voters already think are in crisis.

The lengthening of queues for critical operations, the shortage of doctors and teachers, and a police department that has failed to manage the violence of urban gangs have shaken the confidence in the "Swedish model".

Swedish Democratic leader Jimmie Akesson called the vote a choice between immigration and welfare.

He also promised to sink any government that refuses to give its party to politics, particularly in immigration matters.

The main politicians have so far rebuffed it.

But with some sort of cooperation between center-left parties and center-right blocs, the only alternative to the current political stalemate, analysts believe that Akesson could still have an influence on politics.

The two options being unpleasant for traditional actors, forming a government could take weeks.

Polling stations are open at 06:00 GMT and close at 18:00 GMT, the two main Swedish broadcasters issuing exit polls. The vote count results will be clear later in the evening.