STOCKHOLM — Swedes were voting Sunday in a closely fought parliamentary election that will either bring a far-right party into government for the first time or shift the country back toward the liberalism it has long been known for, Reuters reported.
Opinion polls this week showed Sweden’s centre-left opposition holding a narrow lead over the ruling right-wing bloc. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who trailed for most of his term, has been catching up, while rival Magdalena Andersson and her Social Democrats have lost ground.
Kristersson has pledged to bring the far-right Sweden Democrats into government if his bloc wins. The right has already agreed on a four-party cabinet if victorious. Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time; exit polls are expected soon after they close at 1800 GMT.
Over the past four years, the minority coalition backed by the Sweden Democrats has abolished permanent residency for refugees, tightened welfare rules, and boosted expulsions. Supporters credit those policies with cutting gang violence and immigration; critics say civil liberties have been eroded and households squeezed by weak growth.
Sources: Reuters
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