Swedish voters decide if right-wing populists join government for first time
Sweden's September 10 election will determine whether the Sweden Democrats, a party with a controversial past, will become part of a governing coalition, amid shifting public attitudes on immigration and crime.
Swedish voters will head to the polls on Sunday to choose between Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's centre-right coalition and a centre-left bloc led by former premier Magdalena Andersson. The contest is being framed as a test of whether the Sweden Democrats, a party that entered parliament in 2010 and became the second-largest force in 2022, can move from supporting the government externally to holding ministerial posts if the right wins a majority.
The Sweden Democrats have sought to distance themselves from early links to extremist groups and, under leader Jimmie Åkesson, have rebranded as a mainstream right-wing party. Their platform includes stricter immigration rules, tighter citizenship requirements and policies aimed at limiting social benefits to citizens.
"There has been a shift of focus, which has gone from the true political challenges to who is going to sit in the government," said Andreas Önnerfors, professor of intellectual history at Linnaeus University.
Polls released in early September show the centre-left coalition at 50.8% and the centre-right at 47.6%, indicating a close race.
Analysts note that the Sweden Democrats have combined traditional right-wing positions with elements of social-democratic policy, appealing to working-class voters. Professor Niklas Bolin of Mid Sweden University observed that the overall political climate in Sweden has become more restrictive on immigration and crime, a trend shared by parties across the spectrum.
Sweden’s asylum applications peaked during the 2015 migration crisis and have since declined to their lowest level since 1985. Reported gang-related shootings have also fallen, though concerns about integration and public safety remain prominent among voters.
The outcome will reveal how far Swedish politics have shifted from a post-war consensus of liberal immigration and low crime toward a more security-focused agenda, and whether a party once excluded from government will assume executive responsibility.