The far-right Sweden Democrats find a solid foundation in Sweden
The rise of right-wing parties across Europe, such as the Sweden Democrats in Sweden and Fratelli d’Italia in Italy, is pushing centrist politics to its limits.
One by one, Europe’s traditional centrist parties face a difficult choice: when will they swallow their scruples about post-1945 fascism and agree to cooperate with their resident far-right ethno-nationalist parties?
Next stop: Sweden. Next week’s election looks set to position the once-probable extreme Sweden Democrats, now with more than 20% of the vote, as the major party on the right – forcing their more centrist right-wing counterparts to get on board, as no Sweden Democrats means no right-wing government.
It’s a dilemma. Do they choose democratic solidarity at the price of a continued social democratic government? Or for a “no enemies on the right” agreement that legitimizes the post-fascist party that was once so fringe that it only broke into parliament in 2010?
Read more about the rise of far-right politics across Europe.
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