Sweden’s far-right party, an offshoot of neo-Nazi movement, poised to make record election gains
Founded in 1988, SD appeals to young voters and those disillusioned by social democracy, as well as those in declining rural areas where industries, schools and maternity wards are shutting down
Barring a major upset, Sweden’s far-right is on course for a record result in September 9 legislative elections, capitalising on the mood of voters who feel they are being left behind in favour of hundreds of thousands of newly arrived asylum seekers.
With two weeks to go to the election, opinion polls suggest the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats (SD) could sweep around 20 per cent of votes, making them the second- or third-biggest party.
That could give SD – an offshoot of the neo-Nazi movement but now clamouring for political legitimacy – significant influence over Swedish politics.
SD has said it is willing to collaborate with either the left or right, as long as it can shape the country’s immigration policy. However, it will have a hard time wielding any new-found clout.
While some parties on the right-wing have occasionally appeared tempted to court the SD for informal support to pass legislation in parliament, none of them seems ready to forge a more formal collaboration with a party still seen as pariahs by a large majority of Swedes.
