Sweden votes in close election as far right eyes government — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Sweden Democrats could enter government for the first time if the right-wing bloc led by PM Ulf Kristersson prevails, after the Moderates announced in April they would allow the anti-immigration party into Cabinet while Kristersson remains premier.
- Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson cast her ballot at a school in Nacka, south of Stockholm, telling reporters the choice is between a government 'entirely dominated by the Sweden Democrats' or one she leads in a 'new spirit of cooperation.'
- Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is seeking a second four-year term after leading since 2022 with a three-party centre-right coalition that currently relies on outside support from the Sweden Democrats for a parliamentary majority.
- Sweden Democrats, a party with neo-Nazi roots, took 20.5% of the vote in 2022 to become the biggest party on the right and are now positioned for formal ministerial roles if the bloc wins.
- Pre-election polls long credited Andersson's four-party left-wing bloc with a comfortable lead, but the source notes the gap narrowed significantly in the final days of the campaign ahead of the 8:00pm (18:00 GMT) close and first exit polls.
- Sweden's electorate of roughly 8 million eligible voters — in a country of 10.6 million where turnout regularly exceeds 80% — has already seen about half of voters cast ballots in advance of polling day.
- Kristersson's platform focuses on improving everyday life for Swedes following his government's clampdown on organised crime and immigration, pledging to 'make Sweden great again' according to AFP.
Why it matters: Sweden, a country of 10.6 million with turnout above 80%, is on the verge of normalizing a far-right party with neo-Nazi roots as a formal ruling partner rather than an outside support prop. With about half of 8 million eligible voters already casting advance ballots, the result will reshape Nordic Europe's political mainstream and test whether a party once confined to the fringe can hold ministerial power.
Ask SkimNews
