SWEDISH PARTIES BRACED FOR SOME HARD BARGAINING
▶ With no frontrunner at polls characterised by swings to left and right, a ‘clean slate’ will not suit everyone
Sweden’s ruling and main opposition parties are bracing for losses today as voters turn to a nationalist party.
The two traditional political blocs are too close to call but neither is expected to win a majority with the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats gaining support.
The ruling Social Democrats could have its worst election yet while the biggest opposition party, the Moderates, may suffer cuts to its support to almost half of that early this decade.
The election results lengthen shadows over Europe as anti-EU parties make advances. The former communist Left Party, part of the Social Democrats’ bloc along with the Green Party, is also likely to make major gains.
Party leaders yesterday warned that the country could face weeks of negotiations before forming a government after a tense final debate on Friday.
They have been quiet about their post-election strategies during the campaign, although all have said they would not invite the Sweden Democrats into government.
Moderates leader Ulf Kristersson struck a defiant tone on Friday.
“This government needs to go,” Mr Kristersson said at a rally in Stockholm. “It should never have seen the light of day and now we’ll get a clean slate in parliament. A new time will begin in Swedish politics.”
His four-party bloc, called the Alliance, has staged a small comeback. In the latest Inizio poll, published by Aftonbladet yesterday, the centre-right bloc extended its lead over the government parties and their Left Party ally.
The Sweden Democrats, calling for an exit from the EU, is polling about 18 per cent on average. It would rise from about 13 per cent four years ago amid growing discontent over immigration and rising crime rates.
Some polls have shown it could become the largest.
The hard negotiations will start after voting closes at 8pm local time today. The most likely scenario is that the bloc with the most votes will try to form a minority cabinet.
Latest polls show the Social Democrats’ bloc would control 147 seats in parliament, compared with the Alliance’s 138.
But since the Alliance and the Sweden Democrats want Prime Minister Stefan Lofven out of power and as the nationalists typically side with the centre-right opposition, the group may still try to push into government.
To form a government, all prime ministers must pass a vote in parliament.
Polls released at the end of this week showed a dead heat, with the ruling bloc below 40 per cent. That increases the likelihood that Mr Kristersson could become the next prime minister although his conservatives may be overtaken as the second-largest party.
The Social Democrats were backed by 25.1 per cent of voters in the latest poll, down from 31 per cent in 2014. It is losing voters to the Sweden Democrats and the Left Party.
“The Social Democrats seem to be heading toward a catastrophic election,” said Torbjorn Sjostrom, chief executive of market research firm Novus.
Mr Sjostrom said any outcome where Sweden Democrats overtook the Moderates would be problematic.
“Is it really possible to be prime minister if you are only the third-biggest party?” he asked. “It’s going to be a weird situation if the Sweden Democrats become the second-largest party but won’t be considered as part of a government or even as support for the future government.
“And what are the Social Democrats going to do with the Left Party, considering their size? There are many factors making things very complicated after election day.”