The populist anti-immigration party, which emerged from the neo-Nazi movement in the late 1980s, has surged in the polls in each of the past nine elections and on Sunday appeared to have won 21 percent of the vote this year, according to nearly final results. If it proves to have happened after the full count, they will become the second largest party in the country. A bloc of right-wing parties, including the Sweden Democrats, is then expected to defeat a left-wing bloc led by Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson to form a government. But the result was so close that the election authority said it would not be known until Wednesday when some uncounted votes, including those cast abroad, would be counted. Exit polls initially predicted victory for the incumbent left-wing coalition, but results later showed the right-wing bloc could win narrowly. Image: Moderate party leader Ulf Kristersson may have celebrated prematurely after an exit poll suggested he had won. Photo: AP Currently, with 94% of the vote counted, the right-wing bloc appears to have a lead of less than one percentage point over the ruling centre-left group led by Prime Minister Ms Anderson. Sweden Democrats leader Jimmy Akesson told supporters at an event in Stockholm that he was “proud” to be on track to become the country’s second largest party. Avoidance While his party has its roots in the white nationalist movement, years ago it began rooting out extremists. But despite its rebranding, voters have long found it objectionable and other parties have shunned it. That has changed in recent times, and experts say their results in this election show just how far acceptance has come. During the campaign, her tough policies on law and order and immigration began to draw support from the center-right. Mr Akesson is unlikely to become prime minister even if the right-wing bloc wins the largest number of seats. The group’s four parties will choose the cabinet posts, and Moderate Party leader Ulf Christerson is the current favorite to take the role, but he will have a difficult line to walk between all parties – particularly the one that has gathered more votes from his.
