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Sweden Democrats Suffer Election Setback as Immigrants Feel Relief
Sweden held a close parliamentary election.
Early results suggested that left-leaning parties might win a very small majority.
The Sweden Democrats, a party that wants stricter immigration policies, received fewer votes than in the previous election.
Many immigrants said they felt relieved by this result.
In Rinkeby, the centre-left received 94% of the votes.
Some residents worried that the Sweden Democrats wanted to send more immigrants away and end multiculturalism.
The Sweden Democrats said some voters chose other right-wing parties instead.
The final political balance remained very close, with a difference of only three projected seats.
The Sweden Democrats were projected to win 17.6% of the vote, down three percentage points from four years earlier.
Left-leaning parties supporting Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson were projected to win 176 of Parliament’s 349 seats.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s bloc was projected to win 173 seats in the closely fought election.
Residents in immigrant-heavy Stockholm suburbs said they feared Sweden Democrats policies would worsen conditions for immigrants.
The party blamed tactical voting and its support for the government over the previous four years for its setback.
- Who
- Swedish voters, the Sweden Democrats, immigrant residents, Magdalena Andersson’s centre-left bloc, and Ulf Kristersson’s governing bloc.
- What
- The Sweden Democrats suffered a projected election setback while the centre-left was narrowly projected to lead Parliament.
- Where
- Sweden, including Stockholm suburbs such as Rinkeby and Skarholmen.
- When
- After the parliamentary election on Sunday, with results reported on Monday, September 14.
- Why
- Immigrant residents opposed the Sweden Democrats’ anti-immigration proposals, while the party attributed its losses to tactical voting and its support for the government.
Immigrant residents and integration advocates
Sweden Democrats
Immigration policy
Immigrant residents and integration advocates
Immigrant residents and Silvia Kakembo of the Integration Bureau said the party’s proposals to expel immigrants and withdraw already granted residence permits went too far.
Sweden Democrats
The Sweden Democrats campaigned on sending home larger numbers of immigrants and ending multiculturalism.
Election result
Immigrant residents and integration advocates
Residents in immigrant-heavy suburbs said they voted in large numbers because they feared Sweden Democrats policies would make conditions worse.
Sweden Democrats
Sweden Democrat member of parliament Richard Jomshof said tactical voting for other right-wing parties and the party’s support for the government had contributed to the loss.
Role of immigrants in Sweden
Immigrant residents and integration advocates
Residents argued that immigrants are important in schools, healthcare, and public transportation and rejected an “us versus them” mentality.
Sweden Democrats
The party proposed measures including a ban on traditional Islamic dress for women in public, according to the report.
Key facts
- Sweden Democrats projected vote
- 17.6%, down three percentage points from four years earlier
- Projected centre-left seats
- 176 of 349 parliamentary seats
- Projected government-bloc seats
- 173 of 349 parliamentary seats
- Rinkeby centre-left vote
- 94%
- Immigration over 25 years
- About 2.5 million people immigrated to Sweden
- Sweden Democrats parliamentary entry
- The party first entered Parliament in 2010
- Party government role
- It supported the right-wing minority government while remaining outside the cabinet
Quotes
Celil Tamturk
A 59-year-old resident of Skarholmen originally from Turkey.
“If there were no immigrants here, after two days not working, what would happen? In schools, in healthcare, in the subway, there are immigrants everywhere. Sweden would stop immediately.”
theprint.in
“It’s a huge relief. I think people in the suburbs turned out to vote in large numbers because they were afraid the Sweden Democrats would make things worse.”
theprint.in
Sources
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