Social Democrat Prime Minister Anderson faces right-wing opposition The moderate Kristersson has allied himself with the Sweden Democrats Campaigns focus on crime, the cost of living crisis Polls show the blocs running non-stop Polling stations close at 18:00 GMT
STOCKHOLM, Sept 11 (Reuters) – Swedes voted on Sunday in an election pitting the centre-left Social Democrats against a right-wing bloc that has embraced the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats in a bid to regain power after eight years in opposition. With steadily rising numbers of shootings unnerving voters, election campaigns have seen parties vie to be the toughest on gang crime, while rising inflation and the energy crisis following the invasion of Ukraine have increasingly taken center stage. “I’m very afraid of a repressive, far-right government coming in,” said Malin Ericsson, 53, a travel consultant outside a polling station in central Stockholm. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Polls show the center-left facing off against the right-wing bloc, where the Sweden Democrats appear to have recently overtaken the Moderates as the second largest party behind the Social Democrats. read more Pediatrician Erik George, 52, said he believed the election campaign had been marked by a rise in populism. “I think times are really turbulent and people are struggling to understand what’s going on,” he said outside the polling station. While law and order is the turf for the right, gathering economic clouds as households and companies face high electricity prices could boost Social Democratic Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, seen as a safe pair of hands and more popular than her own party. read more “My clear message is: during the pandemic we have supported Swedish companies and households. I will act again in exactly the same way if I gain your renewed trust,” he said this week in one of the last debates before the vote. Andersson was finance minister for many years before becoming Sweden’s first female prime minister a year ago. Her main opponent is moderate leader Ulf Kristersson, who sees himself as the only one who can unite the right and overthrow it. Kristersson has spent years deepening ties with the Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigration party with white defenders among its founders. The Sweden Democrats, who initially shunned all other parties, are now increasingly part of the mainstream right. read more “We will prioritize law and order, making it profitable to work and build new climate-smart nuclear power,” Kristersson said in a video released by his party. “Simply put, we want to fix Sweden.” For many centre-left voters – and even some on the right – the prospect of Jimmie Akesson’s Sweden Democrats having a say in government policy or joining the cabinet remains deeply unsettling. Kristersson wants to form a government with the small Christian Democrats and, possibly, the Liberals, and rely only on the support of the Sweden Democrats in parliament. But these are assurances that the center-left does not take at face value. Uncertainty is high for the election, with the two blocs facing long and tough negotiations to form a government in a polarized and emotionally charged political landscape. Anderson will need support from the ideologically opposed Center and Left parties, and likely the Green Party, if she wants a second term as prime minister. “I have very few red lines,” Annie Loof, whose Center Party split with Kristersson over his embrace by the Sweden Democrats, said in a recent interview with SVT. “A red line I have is that I will never let through a government that gives influence to the Sweden Democrats.” Voting closes at 18:00 GMT with the preliminary official result expected around 21:00 GMT. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Additional reporting by Janis Laizans, Isabella Ronca, Terje Solsvik and Anna Ringstrom Editing by William Maclean, Elaine Hardcastle Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
