{"id":11387,"date":"2018-09-10T13:06:24","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T12:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/?p=11387"},"modified":"2018-09-10T13:06:24","modified_gmt":"2018-09-10T12:06:24","slug":"swedens-centrists-prevail-even-as-far-right-has-its-best-showing-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/swedens-centrists-prevail-even-as-far-right-has-its-best-showing-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweden\u2019s Centrists Prevail Even as Far Right Has Its Best Showing Ever"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<header class=\"css-sb57iz e345g291\">\n<div class=\"css-30n6iy e345g290\">\n<div class=\"css-acwcvw\">\n<p><time class=\"css-pnci9c eqgapgq0\" datetime=\"2018-09-09\">Sept. 9, 2018<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>By\u00a0<span class=\"css-1baulvz\">Christina Anderson<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<span class=\"css-1baulvz\"><a class=\"css-1s28epf e1x1pwtg0\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/steven-erlanger\">Steven Erlanger<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>The New York Times<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">STOCKHOLM \u2014 Sweden looked set for a period of political confusion after election results on Sunday put a center-right bloc and the governing center-left coalition neck and neck, while a far-right, anti-immigration party came in third \u2014 winning a higher percentage of the vote than ever before, but achieving less of a breakthrough than polls had suggested.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">With more than 99 percent of ballots counted, the national election commission reported that the governing center-left Social Democrats had 28.4 percent of the vote, making it the largest single vote-getter, but handing the party its worst showing in decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The center-right Moderate party was next at 19.8 percent, while the far-right Sweden Democrats were running third, with 17.6 percent, up from 12.9 percent in 2014 but a less successful showing than many Swedes had feared. Some polls had predicted that the Sweden Democrats would come in second, with more than 20 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The red-green bloc of center-left, leftist and environmental parties, led by the Social Democrats, had 40.6 percent of the vote. The center-right alliance, led by the Moderates, was just behind with 40.3 percent. The results mean neither bloc can command a majority in Parliament, and both have rejected the idea of any deal with the Sweden Democrats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The campaign was unusually polarizing in a country\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/09\/03\/world\/europe\/sweden-election-populism.html\">known for seeking political consensus<\/a>. The main issues were also the most contentious: immigration, crime, the welfare state and, after a summer of forest fires, the environment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">For some voters, the fierce debates were a welcome change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cIn Sweden we have been too afraid to discuss the issues,\u201d said Anders Nilsson, 54, an I.T. engineer who voted for the Center party in Botkyrka, a diverse suburb south of Stockholm. \u201cNow we dare to discuss tough questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"InlineMessage-inline--2ysnq\" data-testid=\"inline-message\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">This election has been one of the\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/09\/07\/world\/europe\/sweden-election-far-right.html\">most closely watched<\/a>\u00a0in Sweden\u2019s recent history, with a focus on how the Sweden Democrats would perform given the rise of anti-immigration populist parties in countries like Germany, Italy and Austria.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cThe world\u2019s eyes are on Sweden and the path it takes,\u201d Annie Loof, the head of the Center Party, said in a debate before the vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The Social Democrat prime minister, Stefan Lofven, who runs a minority government of the center-left, had warned voters on Saturday not to cast their ballots for what he called a \u201cracist\u201d party.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cThis election is a referendum about our welfare,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s also about decency, about a decent democracy and not letting the Sweden Democrats, an extremist party, a racist party, get any influence in the government.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"css-l1fb44 e1a8i6eb0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 e1vv25i80\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Image<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/10\/world\/10sweden2\/merlin_143491938_011d9ffd-7e82-4626-8ec8-e513ae9da3e1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/10\/world\/10sweden2\/merlin_143491938_011d9ffd-7e82-4626-8ec8-e513ae9da3e1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/10\/world\/10sweden2\/merlin_143491938_011d9ffd-7e82-4626-8ec8-e513ae9da3e1-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/10\/world\/10sweden2\/merlin_143491938_011d9ffd-7e82-4626-8ec8-e513ae9da3e1-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1wtlzrm e3zkro30\"><span class=\"css-1v07nl7 e1olku6u0\">Voting in Strangnas, west of Stockholm.<\/span><span class=\"css-vg01wm e18m0s9i0\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Credit<\/span>Erik Simander\/Agence France-Presse \u2014 Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Jimmie Akesson, the leader of the Sweden Democrats, told supporters on Saturday that the current government had \u201cprioritized, during these four years, asylum-seekers,\u201d listing failures to do more for health care, housing and pensioners. \u201cSweden needs breathing space,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need tight, responsible immigration policies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The results on Sunday followed another recent European election pattern: the shrinking of mainstream parties of the center-left and the center-right as they lose votes to more extreme parties on both sides of the political spectrum, as well as to environmentalist parties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In Sweden, this shift has raised questions about whether the main parties will keep their vows to have no dealings with the Sweden Democrats, or whether they will have to reach some understanding with the party, especially on crucial budget votes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The main parties may try to negotiate some sort of grand coalition, but that would be unusual in Sweden, where minority governments are fairly common.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a new situation for Sweden,\u201d said Soren Holmberg, a political scientist who heads the\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/som.gu.se\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SOM Institute<\/a>, an independent research group at the University of Gothenburg. \u201cWhat is pretty clear is that there won\u2019t be a majority on either side, so it means we have to have a lot of negotiation between the blocs.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">About 7.5 million registered voters chose from almost 6,300 candidates for a four-year term in the 349-seat Parliament.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Arian Vassili, a 23-year-old engineering student who voted Sunday in Botkyrka, said he supported the Social Democrats. \u201cThis is an incredibly important election,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is an election about values, how you view people, your fellow human beings and whether we are going to take care of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Maria Enberg, 42, a cook who lives in Botkyrka, said she had voted for the Center party. \u201cThe Sweden Democrats have become so big, and I really wanted to vote against them. I don\u2019t want any racist party governing in Sweden.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The Sweden Democrats\u2019 rise began in 2010, when the party crossed the 4 percent threshold for Parliament seats, getting 5.7 percent of the vote. In 2014, its vote share rose to 12.9 percent, making it Sweden\u2019s third-largest party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The Sweden Democrats have greatly benefited since the migration wave of 2015, when 163,000 asylum seekers came to Sweden, about 1.6 percent of the population.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Under Mr. Akesson\u2019s leadership, the party has tried to soften its image. It now uses for the party logo a floppy flower in Sweden\u2019s colors of blue and yellow instead of a flaming torch, and the party insists that it will not tolerate racism. But it campaigned on keeping \u201cSweden Swedish,\u201d cracking down on crime and questioning whether immigrants and Islam will alter the country\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">As in Germany, stricter border controls have been introduced in Sweden, and the numbers of new immigrants has fallen steeply, to about 23,000 this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"css-l1fb44 e1a8i6eb0\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 e1vv25i80\">\n<p><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Image<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-8h527k\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1h6w7uo e1t57l6r0\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/10\/world\/10sweden3\/merlin_143458002_f8aa7635-8b50-4ca6-a6ec-ca90c321b658-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/10\/world\/10sweden3\/merlin_143458002_f8aa7635-8b50-4ca6-a6ec-ca90c321b658-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/10\/world\/10sweden3\/merlin_143458002_f8aa7635-8b50-4ca6-a6ec-ca90c321b658-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/10\/world\/10sweden3\/merlin_143458002_f8aa7635-8b50-4ca6-a6ec-ca90c321b658-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1wtlzrm e3zkro30\"><span class=\"css-1v07nl7 e1olku6u0\">The Sweden Democrats leader, Jimmie Akesson, before a campaign meeting in Stockholm on Saturday.<\/span><span class=\"css-vg01wm e18m0s9i0\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Credit<\/span>Jonathan Nackstrand\/Agence France-Presse \u2014 Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">But the political damage had been done, and despite a thriving economy and generally low unemployment, the Sweden Democrats argued that immigration should stop and that resources should go to refurbishing Sweden\u2019s famous welfare state, which is strained by an aging population and the challenge of taking on migrants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">For those born in Sweden, the unemployment rate was 4.4. percent in 2017; for migrants, the number was 15.1 percent,\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ekonomifakta.se\/Fakta\/Arbetsmarknad\/Integration\/arbetsloshet-utrikes-fodda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according to government statistics<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">During the campaign, the right-wing party spoke directly about traditionally taboo subjects like identity, Islam, integration and crime, winning supporters who felt the traditional parties had been reluctant to touch such sensitive issues. The party, along with the Left party on the other extreme, has benefited from a general sense of discontent and loss of confidence in the political system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Li Bennich-Bj\u00f6rkman, a political scientist at Uppsala University, said it was \u201csort of shocking\u201d that the Sweden Democrats could come this far, but she noted that the party, which has disavowed its roots in the white supremacist movement, had transformed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cI would say that the major part of their electorate are not racist and fascist,\u201d Ms. Bennich-Bj\u00f6rkman said. \u201cThey have managed very skillfully to transform themselves into a variant of the Social Democratic party, just with more nationalist ambitions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The Social Democrats, who have dominated the country for a century, built Sweden\u2019s welfare state. But their support has declined from 45 percent in 1994 to just over 28 percent on Sunday. The Left Party had 7.9 percent of the vote, and the Green Party 4.4 percent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-18sbwfn StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The Moderate party, led by Ulf Kristersson, leads the center-right bloc. He was chosen in October 2017 to head the party when his predecessor, Anna Kinberg Batra, resigned after suggesting that it might be possible to work with the Sweden Democrats. In its alliance, the Center Party won 8.6 percent of the vote, the Christian Democrats 6.4 percent and the Liberals 5.5 percent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">On Sunday night, Mr. Kristersson called on the prime minister to resign. \u201cThis government has run its course,\u201d he told a party rally.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">With the two blocs so close to each other, negotiations over forming a government are expected to be drawn out. \u201cUsually we are quick in forming a new government,\u201d said Mr. Holmberg, the political scientist. \u201cThis time it could drag on for weeks or months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Both centrist parties have moved to the right under the pressure of the Sweden Democrats and have promised tougher policies on immigration, the integration of refugees and crime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Daniel Suhonen, the head of Katalys, a trade union research group, said he saw \u201cvery sad\u201d parallels in the United States for the Sweden Democrats\u2019 rise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cThey had a clear answer, like Trump,\u201d he said at a Social Democrats event. \u201cThey said all the problems in Sweden are created by an elite that is corrupt and ruined the country with immigration, and you can see that in your bad pension, the lack of affordable housing for your adult children. They said you can solve it if you stop immigration.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-14jsv4e\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bottom-of-article\">\n<div class=\"css-1hc8e7p\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-k8fkhk\">\n<p>Christina Anderson reported from Stockholm and Steven Erlanger from Brussels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sept. 9, 2018 By\u00a0Christina Anderson\u00a0and\u00a0Steven Erlanger,\u00a0The New York Times STOCKHOLM \u2014 Sweden looked set for a period of political confusion after election results on Sunday put a center-right bloc and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11388,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-room"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}