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Sweden has become the last European country to move to the right on Sunday, as immigration continues to reshape the political landscape of the continent.
A right-wing party with neo-Nazi roots garnered about 17.6 percent of the votes cast in Sunday's elections, according to the vast majority of constituencies. This was the best performance for the Swedish Democrats and the composition of the next Swedish government remains uncertain.
The vote means that Sweden, a long-standing stability model and one of the richest countries in the world, is now facing a fractured parliament and unpredictable coalition negotiations.
The party's performance followed an unusually intense election campaign focused on immigration and crime, previously considered taboo in a country known for the courtesy of its political debate.
Sweden joins a growing list of European countries where far-right, nationalist, anti-creation and anti-immigration parties have made important progress over the past year.
The long-considered parties in the political fringe have joined the government in Austria, overthrown the former establishment in Italy and have become the largest opposition force in Germany.
But the vote in Sweden was particularly expected, as the country of 10 million people has always been a bastion of Scandinavian progressivism – with its generous welfare and immigration policy – and one of the most affected countries by immigration to Europe. since 2015.
The result suggests that the popular backlash that has swept Europe since the refugee crisis three years ago is unsuccessful and that no country can consider itself immune.
"What we see in most Western democracies is the emergence of a movement that will be with us for some time. This is not a flash in the history of liberal democracy: national populism will be a permanent feature of our political system, "said Matthew Goodwin, a professor of politics at the University of Kent in Britain. the vote.
A breakdown of the majority constituencies made public after the polls closed revealed the ruling Red-Green coalition with 32.7% of the vote, compared to 28.4% for the Social Democrats of outgoing Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. They have so far ruled with the support of the Left Party, which has gained about 7.9%, which means that their collective share of the vote would be 40.6%.
The Right Opposition Alliance, made up of the moderate, Center Party, Christian Democrats and Liberals, saw it award a total of 40.3%.
This means that both blocks are on track to finish with roughly the same estimated number of seats.
Before the vote, the ruling parties rejected the possibility of cooperating with the Swedish Democrats.
In a public comment after the vote, the leader of the Swedish Democrats, Jimmie Akesson, asked Alliance leader Ulf Kristersson: "The moment of truth is here: will you choose Stefan Löfven or Jimmie Akesson? by uniting the Red-Green coalition and the Alliance and an alliance between the Alliance and the Swedish Democrats.
Mr. Kristersson did not respond directly. He then called on Mr Löfven to resign as Prime Minister.
The proposals of the Swedish Democrats – a moratorium on new asylum seekers, faster expulsions of illegal immigrants, stricter rules on the granting of Swedish citizenship – have become more common while other parties have sought The party has long disavowed its far-right roots.
By conducting an effective turnaround of immigration policy, the ruling parties have managed to stop the haemorrhage of Swedish Democrats, said Patrik Ohberg, a political scientist at the University of Gothenburg.
Charlie Weimers, a 35-year-old former leader of moderate conservative Christian Democrats, left his party on Thursday to join the Swedish Democrats in what was perhaps the most publicized defection before the elections.
On Sunday evening, it was jubilant. "It's a blow for the current government," he said of the results. "The Swedish company is no longer able to integrate the number of people who have already come."
Sweden is a bastion of stability, with a democratic system that dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, one of the highest standards of living in the world and a long history of diversity.
Yet the general political debate has long neglected some of the difficulties the country faces in integrating migrants and refugees. These challenges are reflected in some urban enclaves where many migrant populations are living in unemployment, disaffection, drugs and gangs.
Mattias Karlsson, parliamentary leader of the Swedish Democrats, said before the vote that his party would support a minority government that pledged to implement its immigration platform. But even if the traditional parties have managed to establish a stable coalition, he added, they will have to yield to populist demands. His ambition, he added, was to "change society" rather than enter the government.
-Dominic Chopping contributed to this article.
