Sweden faces political stalemate after far-right electoral gains

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden faces a political stalemate after its main center-left and center-right blocs were tied by an election on Sunday, while the far right – who does not want to deal with Plate -form.

With almost all the votes counted on Monday, the Social Democrats and Leftwing Greens and their Left Party parliamentary ally got 40.6% of the vote, while the Center-Right Alliance of Opposition obtained 40.3%.

This results in a unique advantage in the Riksdag, which has 349 members.

The Swedish Democrats, a party with white supremacist roots, gained 17.6%, about 5 percentage points higher than four years ago. This was the biggest gain of any party and consistent with conventional opinion polls, but it was below the 20 to 30% forecast by its leader, Jimmie Akesson.

"Most signs indicated that Sweden's Democrats rank second in Sweden. But the expected bang did not happen, "the liberal daily Expressen said in an opinion piece. "Sweden is now on a stronger foundation than we could have feared before the elections."

Many online polls, which in the last elections have judged the vote of the Swedish Democrats better than conventional polls, have indicated that they can dethrone the Social Democrats as the largest party in the country – a position that the left center maintained for a century.

In the end, the Swedish Democrats were beaten by Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's Social Democrats by a margin of 10 points and were also eclipsed by the moderates of Ulf Kristersson, the Alliance's candidate for the post of prime minister. Minister.

"In a sense, we are happy that the Swedish Democrats have not grown up more than they," Liberal MP Allan Widman told Reuters. "The bigger they get, the more the other parts are in a hurry."

GRAPHIC – Result of the election tmsnrt.rs/2CDMT4e

SENSE OF RELIEF

The success of the Swedish Democrats follows the rise in popularity of other extreme right-wing parties in Europe due to growing anxiety about national identity, the effects of globalization and the fears of conflicts in the Middle East. East and Africa.

Sweden saw itself as a "humanitarian superpower" for years, but the rise of gang violence in predominantly migrant social-dominated urban suburbs was also supported by Swedish Democrats.

After the arrival of 163,000 asylum seekers in 2015 – the largest number of Europeans compared to the country's 10 million inhabitants – the government has suspended many of its liberal asylum policies.

Supporters of the dominant parties felt relieved of the less dramatic gains of the far right. This was shared in Brussels. "It is clear that the assertion that the far right is on an inexorable roll and that it will devour everything that is in its path is false," said a government official. EU, while recognizing fragmentation between parties.

However, the elections in Sweden have highlighted a broader shift in one of the most socially progressive nations in Europe.

DEAD END

Top party officials met on Monday to develop a strategy to form a government. But the process could take weeks and perhaps fail, with Swedish Democrats promising to sink any cabinet that does not give them a say in politics.

"We will not participate in the handover of a government that does not give us influence," said Akesson on the local TV4 channel. "On the contrary, we will do everything in our power to overthrow such a government."

Akesson hopes that his party, which wants Sweden to leave the European Union and freeze immigration, can play a decisive role in the negotiations on the formation of a government, a prospect hitherto rejected by all the others gone.

He challenged Kristersson to choose between seeking the support of Swedish Democrats for an Alliance government or accepting four more years of Lofven as prime minister.

Kristersson called Lofven to resign, but also rejected Akesson. "We were absolutely clear throughout the election. The Alliance will not govern or discuss how to form a government with Swedish Democrats, "he said.

Both sides claimed to be in the best position to form a government, although votes from Swedes living abroad are not reported until Wednesday and these could still slightly influence the final result.

Yet in the same breath, the leaders of both sides called for a bipartisan compromise to avoid congestion in parliament.

SOMETHING MUST GIVE

The center-left and center-right of Sweden have met only a few times since the mid-1930s. In addition, a 2014 agreement to neutralize the Swedish Democrats and leave the bloc's biggest rule was revealed to be deeply unpopular among the members of the center-right base and quickly collapsed.

"Something must give," said political scientist Magnus Blomgren of the University of Umea. "Whether or not an agreement beyond political division, something must be done."

A new election will be called if Parliament does not agree on a prime minister after four attempts.