‘A Coin Toss’: Sweden's 2022 General Election Explained

Polls have predicted that the Sweden Democrats party may gain about 20% of the votes in the Sunday general election, making it the second-largest party in the parliament. That would put them only behind the center-left Social Democrats of Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

Swedes are casting ballots in a general election on Sunday to pick lawmakers for the country’s 349-seat parliament, known as the Riksdag, as well as local offices across the nation of 10 million. Here’s a brief insight into the event.

Who is Taking Part

The election comes amid attempts by Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson to keep her center-left Social Democrats at the helm of a left-wing coalition as she is facing a strong challenge from the right-wing parties.

The Left Party, the Greens and Centre Party are seen as the other likely participants in a left-bloc coalition.

The center-right parties make up the rest, including the Liberals, the Moderate party, Christian Democrats and Sweden Democrats.

Who is Thought to Win

With a block of four parties on the left and another four on the right, the latest opinion polls argue that it is impossible to predict the result of the elections.

Zeth Isaksson, a sociologist in electoral behavior at Stockholm University, likened the situation to “basically a coin toss,” adding that “It’s 50-50 between the two different sides.”

Swedish law stipulates that the party that wins the most seats forms the next government, and some surveys indicate that this is likely to be Andersson’s party.

Andersson and the Social Democrats

The 55-year-­old - the first female Swedish PM­ - has enjoyed high approval ratings since she entered office in November 2021. She was praised for showing pragmatism as she supported Sweden’s bid for NATO membership following the start of Russia’s ongoing special military operation in Ukraine.

“My clear message is: during the pandemic we supported Swedish companies and households. I will act in the exact same way again if I get your renewed confidence,” Andersson said in one of the final debates ahead of the vote earlier this week.

In a separate statement, she pledged that her party would “prioritize law and order, making it profitable to work and build new climate-smart nuclear power; simply put, we want to sort Sweden out.”

In their election manifesto, the Social Democrats promised to tackle issues regarding crime, welfare, the climate, green industry, and rising prices.

Who is in the Opposite Camp

The last Swedish general election, held in 2018, saw the center-right Moderates led by Ulf Kristersson win the second-highest number of seats.

The conservative Moderate Party is known for promoting a market economy, lower taxes and a smaller role for government. The party’s slogan is “Let’s get Sweden in order.”

In June 2021, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven’s ouster was followed by Kristersson being tasked with forming a new government.

Parliamentary Speaker Andreas Norlen told the 58-year-old at the time that he had until July 3 to report his potential government to Norlen, as Kristersson planned to be at the helm of a coalition of his own party along with the Christian Democrats, the Sweden Democrats, and the Liberals. On July 1, however, Kristersson said that he had failed to obtain enough support to form a government and returned his mandate to Norlen.

Another Force to Be Reckoned With

A right-wing party that takes a hard line on immigration and crime, including gun violence, the Sweden Democrats first entered parliament in 2010 and have been growing steadily ever since.

The party, led by 43-year-old former web designer Jimmie Akesson, won 13% of the vote in 2018, becoming the third-largest force in parliament, a result that will most likely be improved upon in the Sunday election, according to the polls.

Despite the fact that the Sweden Democrats originally had their roots in Swedish fascism and white nationalism, the party started distancing itself from its past during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Under Akesson, who has been the party’s leader since 2005, the organization went through a spate of reforms, expelling hardliners and moderating its platform. The Sweden Democrats currently underline that they reject fascism and Nazism. The party has formed governing coalitions in municipal councils with the Moderate Party and Christian Democrats since 2018. In the wake of the 2022 election, the Sweden Democrats plan to form a national coalition with the aforementioned parties.