Swedish election 2022: What you need to know
Sweden goes to the polls on sunday for one of its most important elections in living memory. If the polls are correct, a country long known for a strong welfare state and social democracy could see the far-right Sweden Democrats, who have neo-Nazi roots and an anti-immigrant stancebecome the second largest party in parliament and a senior player under a right-wing ruling alliance.
It is a dramatic change for a country that has traditionally seen left-wing parties led by the incumbent Social Democratic Party and centrist parties led by the conservative moderate party sweep into power.
Below, what to know about the vote:
Runners and riders
Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson in the Social Democrats has been campaign on one platform to reduce minority gang violence in underserved communities, protect welfare and increase employment. Sweden’s Riksdag deposed her predecessor Stefan Lofven last year in a vote of no confidence after the Left Party withdrew its support over a the government plans to ease rent control. But he was later reinstated because the opposition parties did not have enough support. Andersson then came to power in November after Lofven resigned; he had led the country and the party since 2014. “Everything comes to an end and I want to give my successor the very best conditions,” Lofven said, adding that stepping down was “not easy, but right.”
The moderates’ Ulf Kristersson, and the opposition leader, have similarly suggested that crime should be tightened to reduce gang violence. “He is a typical opposition leader; he wants to blame the government for political failures, especially to do with gang violence, says Jan Teorell, professor of political science at Stockholm University.
Current poll places the Social Democrats in first place at around 30%, followed by the Sweden Democrats at around 20%, and the Moderates close behind with 17%. The Sweden Democrats had only captured 0.4% of the vote in the 1998 election, but became the third largest party in the last election in 2018.
Swedish political parties rarely get a majority in parliament, which means that they usually have to build alliances to form a government. Surveys indicate that a centre-left bloc led by the Sweden Democrats is tied to a bloc-forming party on the right. The moderates’ Kristersson has said that he prioritises form a strong governmenta sign that he sees the far-right party as a potential partner this year, despite vowing in 2018 never to cooperate with the Sweden Democrats.
Why gang violence became a key question
The leading contenders’ focus on gang violence is a response to an increase in shootings this year. Since January 1, In Sweden, at least 48 people have been killed by firearms. “It’s getting out of control… People are getting the feeling that this is not our country; how can this happen here?” says Teorell. “People have a feeling that it is approaching their everyday life.”
The Social Democratic government has recently introduced tougher prison sentences and increased police resources in response to the rise in fatal shootings, but opposition parties say it is not enough. Andersson has partly blamed “too much immigration and too little integration” for the issue, a sign that centrist parties are veering right on some issues in response to the rise in opinion polls for the Sweden Democrats in recent years.
“So many of these gang members who commit crimes are quite young. Many of them are recruited when they are, say, nine or 10 years old,” says Anders Sannerstedt, professor of political science at Lund University.
The increase in gang violence has pressured political parties to prioritize the issue on the campaign trail. At the same time that the Sweden Democrats have taken a harder line against immigration, the Social Democrats have also pushed to understand the social roots of the problem. “They tried to emphasize that … we need to fix the welfare state … So they focus on the social side of why you become a gang member to begin with,” Teorell says.
Energy prices are also uppermost in voters’ minds
Prime Minister Andersson promised last week that provide $23 billion in liquidity guarantees to utility companies amid a spiraling cost-of-living crisis that has seen costs of essential foods rise by almost 25% as well as rising interest rates and stagnant economic growth. “A lot of people are worried about their electricity bills given Putin’s war on energy,” she said.
Kristersson has suggested using more nuclear power in response to sky-high electricity bills. “The argument is that if we hadn’t shut down those power plants, we would basically be self-sufficient in terms of energy production, so we wouldn’t have to import any electricity from abroad and then prices wouldn’t have skyrocketed as much. After the war,” says Teorell.
The Sweden Democrats have also criticized the country’s decision to close nuclear power plants and call it one of the “the biggest political mistake of modern times.” The current minority government led by the Social Democrats is committed to hydropower, solar energy and wind power.
Why many people worry about the Sweden Democrats
A far-right party has never before been part of the governing government in Sweden.
Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson has insisted that the party has moved away from its racist roots. “Those who founded our party are no longer participating,” he told the AP. “Most disappeared already after one or two years. So the Sweden Democrats today are something different from what was founded about 30 years ago.” But critics still accuse the party of continuing racist rhetoric and policies.
Earlier this month, the party’s criminal justice spokesman, Tobias Anderson, tweeted a post about the Sweden Democrats’ campaign ad on the subway. He wrote: “Welcome to the repatriation train. You have a one-way ticket. Next stop, Kabul.”
The tweet drew criticism from, among others, the Social Democrats. Andersson said she was worried about the Sweden Democrats’deep roots in the Swedish neo-Nazis and other racist organizations.” She singled out a party employee who sent an email inviting people to celebrate the Nazi invasion of Poland. “Such an invitation would never happen in any other parties in Sweden. Having said that, many of the Sweden Democrats’ voters are decent people who are disappointed with the development, she says.
Some worry that the Sweden Democrats’ rising poll numbers have pushed Andersson to be right in certain areas, especially around identity and immigration.
Last month Andersson was accused of racist rhetoric from his own party. A Swedish Somali politician, Saida Hussein Moge, left the Social Democrats after the prime minister made a comment about Sweden not having ethnic clusters in big cities. “We don’t want Chinatowns in Sweden, we don’t want Somalitowns or Little Italys.”
Åkesson, for his part, welcomes the tougher stance. “Fundamentally, it’s good. We want to change society. We want to make things better. So we welcome when other parties adopt our policies,” he said.
It is an example, some say, of the far-right party’s growing influence regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s vote.
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