Sweden faces difficult negotiations about who will lead the new government following an extremely close election on Sunday. The right-leaning opposition has a slim lead in the polls, winning 175 out of the 349 seats in parliament against Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson's left-wing coalition, which for now has 174 mandates.
For the first time, the shunned far-right Sweden Democrats could be part of a government after receiving 20.7% of the vote – and increase by 3.1 percent points and its best result to date - making it the second biggest party after the Social Democrats who received 30.5%. A wave of anger against rising crime, particularly gang problems and integration issues, were key discussion points during the election. This carried the populist party close to government and it is now Sweden's second-largest party.
Sunday's election is still too close to call, with 5% of electoral districts still to be counted as well as overseas ballots. Full results are first expected on Wednesday.
Sweden has long been considered a bastion of human rights but this election could see it becoming less welcoming to immigrants, even as Russia's invasion of Crimea pushes people to flee and climate change is forcing many to leave Africa. However, all political parties, including the Social Democrats, acknowledge that the immigration policy has largely failed as regards the integration of migrants and refugees. Current Prime Minister Andersson even talked about "Somalitowns" in the election campaign.
A new political era
Opposition leader Ulf Kristersson of the conservative Moderaterne (The Moderates) became the third biggest party with 19.1% of the votes, a decrease by 0.7 percent points. He is poised to be the next Prime Minister in a government supported either from within or outside the government by the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats, who are expected to have a say on the new administration's policy program, as it is now the biggest party on the right. In the election campaign, it distributed a video where it advocated voluntary return of the migrants to their home countries as a solution to the integration problem.
Although the Sweden Democrats have tried to distance itself from its neo-Nazi roots, many leaders in the political establishment are uncomfortable with them in government, including other parties in Kristersson's coalition. In previous elections the other parties made it clear that they would not include the Sweden Democrats in the government or rely on their suppost. Exactly how much influence they could have on a new right-centre government remains unclear.
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"It is the Sweden Democrats who have driven the right-wing bloc, both in terms of shaping the political content and in attracting voters," wrote Goteborgsposten. "For Sweden, a new political era awaits."
