What’s going on in Sweden’s election Sunday
Sweden holds elections on Sunday to elect legislators to the Riksdag with 349 seats and to local offices across the country with 10 million. Early voting began on August 24. Here are some important things to know about the vote.
What is at stake?
Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson is fighting to keep her centre-right Social Democrats at the helm of a left-wing coalition but faces a strong challenge from the right.
Sweden is known for being a welfare society from cradle to grave, and Andersson wants to preserve the social protections that have long defined Sweden, and reverse some of the market-oriented changes from a previous government. Her party believes that some of the changes, such as government subsidies to private schools, create greater inequality.
The once-powerful Social Democrats have been in power since 2014. But as the party’s popularity has declined, it has presided over a weak government that relies more on other parties to make laws, creating political instability over the past eight years.
Who is likely to win?
There are two large blocks: one with four lots on the left and another with four on the right. The polls before the election say that it is impossible to predict.
“It’s basically a coin toss. It is 50-50 between the two different sides, said Zeth Isaksson, a sociologist in electoral behavior at Stockholm University, on Saturday.
According to Swedish law, the party that wins the most seats forms the next government. Surveys show that this is likely to be Andersson’s party, which will have to create a coalition with other parties.
But if the left performs poorly, she may not be able to form a coalition. In that case, the baton would be passed to the second largest party to try to form a government.
Which party is in place 2?
In the last election in 2018, the Moderates led by Ulf Kristersson, a right-wing party, received the second most seats. The Conservative Party promotes a market economy, lower taxes and a smaller role for government in a country with a generous welfare state supported by high taxes.
But just like the Social Democrats and other mainstream parties across Europe, the Moderates have seen their popularity decline amid a populist challenge from the far right.
Who are the populists?
The Sweden Democrats, a populist right-wing party that is tough on immigration and crime, first entered parliament in 2010 and has grown steadily since then.
The party received 13% of the vote in 2018, becoming the third largest force in parliament. Measurements show it is likely to improve on Sunday.
Some Swedes compare the party to Trump-like populism and note that it was founded by extreme right-wingers decades ago. They do not trust it in its reported transformation into a more traditional conservative party.
The party is led by Jimmie Akesson, a 43-year-old former web designer who has been the driving force behind trying to moderate the party’s image.
However, the party has clearly taken note of the social mood and other parties have moved closer to their positions, as many Swedes believe they can no longer bear the costs of the country’s generous refugee policy and seek a crackdown on crime.
Once a pariah, other conservative parties have become increasingly willing to deal with the Sweden Democrats.
Andersson told reporters on Saturday that the “rise of the extreme right” was partly the fault of the right-wing opposition, which, she said, “spent so much time and energy trying to convince people that the Sweden Democrats are not the party they actually are.”
How serious is crime in Sweden?
Some immigrants have had difficulty assimilating into Swedish society, which has led to segregated neighborhoods with high crime rates.
Gang violence usually occurs among criminal networks that deal in drugs or are involved in other illegal activities. However, there have been recent cases of innocent bystanders being injured. So far this year, 48 people have been killed by firearms in Sweden, three more than in all of 2021.
The fears triggered by shootings and explosions in vulnerable neighborhoods have made crime one of the most pressing issues for Swedish voters.
– Shootings and bomb explosions have increased in recent years and (this violence) is now considered a major social problem, says Anders Sannerstedt, political scientist at Lund University in southern Sweden.
The gender factor
Andersson became Sweden’s first female prime minister less than a year ago — a late milestone for a country that in many ways is an example of gender equality.
“I was really proud,” said Ulrika Hoonk, a 39-year-old who voted early in Stockholm on Friday, saying it took “far too long” for it to happen.
Surveys show that Andersson’s party is particularly popular among women, where men tend to vote more conservatively.
Even though Andersson is the first prime minister, there are still many women represented in government positions. Four party leaders are women and one party has a woman and a man who share the leadership. In parliament, the gender distribution has long been split approximately 50-50.
Several female voters interviewed this week said finally having a woman in top leadership was very important to them, and a factor they took into account when choosing which party to support.