Swedish elections in 2022 and the surprising victory of the far right

By Ana Luísa Munhoz Mastromauro and Maíra Figueredo Gomes

Sweden is currently experiencing a period of many changes.: the abandonment of approximately three decades of neutrality when choosing to start the NATO accession process; preparing to preside over the European Union from January of next year; e, for the first time, is the scene of a historic clash between the left and the extreme right in the elections for the post of prime minister – with the unexpected and unprecedented victory of the far right.

A woman has never been seen holding the position of Prime Minister of Sweden as she currently is., However, Magdalena Andersson, acknowledged his defeat on the day 14 of September, before the official results, stating that “it was important for Sweden to have a new government as soon as possible” and that his party, Social Democratic Party, was still the biggest in Swedish territory and that the opponent's advantage was very small. Ulf Kristersson (moderate party leader), which began to align its interests with the Democratic Party, said the new elections would put Sweden “in order” and that they were given a mandate for changes to take place.

The Rise of the Sweden Democrats (popularly known as “SD”), marked by neo-Nazi veins and coming from the nationalist movement “Keep Sweden Swedish”, is similar to the rise of more conservative movements in the US and Europe, where the increase in immigration (mostly muslims), of criminality, of basic costs (like energy), among other issues, has been bringing the population closer to a less progressive mentality. receiving only 1% of votes for more than 20 years and entering parliament only in 2010, the end of this isolation represented a “huge change for Swedish society” highlighted Anders Lindberg, columnist for the left-wing newspaper Aftonbladet.

With numerous accusations of racism and xenophobia by Democrats, was reaffirmed by CERIS (Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies) that the party declares that there has been a large increase in crime as a result of migratory flows and the growth of the local Muslim population, However, the party denies. Emil Eneblad, vice president of the SD youth movement, told the BBC that “young people are looking for change” and that the main focus is to change the current immigration landscape in the country..

The development of immigration and the significant growth of violent crimes in the country explain the considerable increase in support for the SD, who stated that the two issues are connected. Besides that, the advance of the radical right in Sweden represents a return to the fight for human rights, and as was said by journalist Kenes, former editor of a Turkish newspaper, currently living in Sweden, the present situation is a threat to swedish democracy, of immigrants and other minorities residing in the country.

References:

AFP. Unprecedented victory of the right and extreme right in elections in Sweden. Pernambuco diary. 2022. Available in: <https://www.diariodepernambuco.com.br/noticia/mundo/2022/09/vitoria-sem-precedentes-da-direita-e-extrema-direita-em-eleicoes-na-su.htm>. Access in:15 September 2022.

AHLANDER, Johan; FILKS, Ilze. Once far-right pariah, Sweden Democrats eye kingmaker role. REUTERS. 2022. Available in: <https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/once-far-right-pariah-sweden-democrats-eye-kingmaker-role-2022-09-07/>. Access in 16 September 2022.

KENES, Bulent. The Sweden Democrats: Killer of Swedish Exceptionalism. European Center for Populism Studies. 2020. Available in: <https://www.populismstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ECPS-Party-Profile-Series-1.pdf>. Access in 16 September 2022.

NILSON, Peter; WARLENIUS, Richard. Sweden: right-wing coalition wins election by the narrowest of margins. Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. 2022. Available in: <https://www.rosalux.eu/en/article/2151.sweden-right-wing-coalition-wins-election-by-the-narrowest-of-margins.html>. Access in: 16 September 2022.

PRESSE, France. Sweden goes to the polls with historic clash between left and far right. Globe. 2022. Available in: <https://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2022/09/08/suecia-comparece-as-urnas-com-a-extrema-direita-em-posicao-de-forca.ghtml>. Access in: 9 September 2022.

SANDS, Leo. How party created by neo-Nazis became Sweden's 2nd biggest political force. BBC News Brazil. 2022. Available in: <https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62921629>. Access in: 16 September 2022.

SWEDEN HAS STRONG ELECTIONS, INDICATE PRELIMINARY RESULTS. DW. 2022. Available in: <https://www.dw.com/pt-br/su%C3%A9cia-tem-elei%C3%A7%C3%A3o-acirrada-indicam-resultados-preliminares/a-63086680>. Access in 16 September 2022.

THE RISE OF SWEDEN DEMOCRATS: ISLAM, POPULISM AND THE END OF SWEDISH EXECPTIONALISM. Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies. Available in: <https://www.cerisnet.pitt.edu/resource/the-rise-of-sweden-democrats-islam-populism-and-the-end-of-swedish-exceptionalism>. Access in: 18 September 2022.