The Latest: Voters appear divided in elections in Sweden


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STOCKHOLM – Latest news on the general elections in Sweden:

15h

Swedish voters seem to be separating in an unpredictable general election that could turn into one of the most exciting races in Scandinavian history for decades during a heated debate over immigration.

The latest opinion polls suggest that the ruling Social Democrats led by Prime Minister Stefan Lofven would lose substantial seats in Parliament but would still win against Sweden's far-right and anti-immigrant Democrats whose popularity has steadily increased since the 2014 elections.

His strong rhetoric shocked many Swedes. Voter Veronica Lundqvist said that the party led by Jimmie Akesson says "terrible things" about migrants, while Karl Ljung said Sweden had an "integration problem" with migrants that needs to be resolved.

Sunday's vote is the first since the nation's 10 million inhabitants accepted 163,000 migrants in 2015. Although far less than what Germany took that year, it was the highest of any European countries.

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8 hours

The polls kicked off in the general election in Sweden, which is expected to be one of the most unpredictable and exciting races in the Scandinavian country in decades, amid heated debate over immigration.

Sunday's election will be the first in Sweden since the government authorized in 2015 163,000 migrants in the country. Although much less than Germany took that year, it was the highest per capita of all European nations. It is very unlikely that a party will win a majority of 175 seats.

The latest survey indicates that Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's ruling Social Democrats will lose significant seats, but will still be ahead with 24.9% of the vote.

Polls have shown that Swedish far-right and anti-immigration Democrats would get 19.1% of the vote.

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