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Sweden Democrats Leader Reportedly Gets Death Threat From Daesh

© REUTERS / Anders Wiklund/TT News AgencySweden Democrats Party leader Jimmie Akesson in Stockholm, Sweden (File)
Sweden Democrats Party leader Jimmie Akesson in Stockholm, Sweden (File) - Sputnik International
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A right-wing Eurosceptic party is poised to win record support in Sweden’s upcoming general election, capitalizing on voter discontent over issues such as immigration, crime and health care.

The leader of the Sweden Democrats Party (SD), Jimmie Akesson, has received a letter with a death threat as the party is gearing up for Sunday’s vote, The Daily Mail reported.

The chilling missive, featuring the Daesh Islamist terrorist group’s flag at the top, contains threats both against Akesson and his four-year-old son, along with a demand that he “immediately resign from the election.”

“We will behead you if you do not withdraw from the election by the end of this week,” the letter warned, while making a similar threat against Akesson's son.

The Swedish Security Service (SAPO) is investigating the incident.

A policeman investigates a burnt car in the Rinkeby suburb outside Stockholm, Sweden February 21, 2017 - Sputnik International
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An anti-immigration populist, Jimmie Akesson has seen his political stardom rise after the arrival of more than 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015.

Taking a cue from US President Donald Trump, the Sweden Democrats, which have been thriving on voter discontent, have vowed to “make Sweden great again.”

The once-fringe SD could become the second largest group in parliament, behind Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's center-left Social Democrats, as popular support for the party has spiked to around 20 percent compared to the 13 percent it garnered four years ago.

The Sweden Democrats owe part of their success to people’s disillusionment with the policies of the country’s governing coalition of Social Democrats and Greens, which has run the country for the past four years.

Voters in Sweden will head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament and government in an election dominated by immigration and its effects on the country’s welfare system.

After the Scandinavian country received around 163,000 asylum seekers in 2015, the current center-left coalition radically tightened asylum laws. But the Sweden Democrats have continually attacked the government for putting the generous welfare state at risk.

READ MORE: Sweden Democrats Lash Out Against UN Refugee Quotas, Push for Repatriation

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