Sweden votes in tightest election in decades as far right eyes historic government role
The vote could see the Sweden Democrats enter government for the first time, giving the party direct influence over policy it has spent years building from the sidelines
Polls opened at 8:00 am across Sweden, with opposition leader Magdalena Andersson among the first to vote at a school in her home municipality of Nacka. Her Social Democrats, the country's largest party, have pledged to strengthen the welfare state and ease the cost of living for struggling households.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the leader of the right-wing governing coalition, has focused his campaign on the results of a crackdown on organized crime and immigration. The Prime Minister says he wants to "make Sweden great again," a phrase borrowed from Donald Trump.
Kristersson said his coalition can "unify parties, voters and issues into joint action." However, one of his pledges, if his bloc wins, includes formally bringing in the far-right Sweden Democrats into government, for the first time.
Critics say this move would further tighten immigration rules and pressure minority communities to conform to Swedish cultural norms.
Kristersson's minority government, made up of the Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals, has relied on Sweden Democrats support in parliament since 2022. The Sweden Democrats have previously pledged to ban the niqab and burqa if they enter government.
Their leader Jimmie Akesson says such dress "reflects values that I don't think belong in Sweden." In response to the pledge by the Prime Minister, Akesson declared "we've already won" at a final rally Saturday in Stockholm, where he said Sweden is "becoming safer, better, and more Swedish."
Andersson, who served as Sweden's first female prime minister from 2021 to 2022, has criticized the government's approach as making the country "harder" and "poorer."