The European center-left could restart from Sweden after a series of disastrous elections across the continent. According to the first exit polls released by public television SVT, the coalition led by Magdalena Andersson is ahead of its centre-right opponents led by outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. But, above all, what makes the news is the semi-flop that Jimmie Akesson’s far-right seems to be facing, considered by the polls of the last few days as the possible real winner of the electoral round. According to the first data, his formation, the Sweden Democrats, stopped at 17.2%, recording a leap backwards compared to 20.5% in the previous elections. This being the case, it will be up to Andersson to form the government by starting consultations which, however, will be anything but easy for the former prime minister born in Uppsala.
The numbers of the coalitions
The centre-left coalition, made up of Social Democrats, Greens, Center and Left, is in the lead with 51.3%. The centre-right, made up of Moderates, Liberals and Swedish Democrats (SD), however stopped at 46.8%. Therefore, the good result of Kristersson’s Moderates could have been of no avail, as according to polls they were in serious danger of being overtaken by the ultra-right within the coalition. The two main parties, Social Democrats and Moderates, however lost votes compared to the 2022 elections. The former stood at 28.4% (-1.9%), the latter at 18.1% (-1%). The Greens, on the other hand, recorded a small exploit, with 7.4% (+2.3% compared to 2022). The Left also did well at 8% (+1.2%) and the Centre, with 7.5% (+0.8%). While awaiting the official results, the trend was effectively confirmed by the main exit polls released at the close of the polls.
The black wave stops in Stockholm
At the headquarters of the Social Democrats in Stockholm, the applause meter reached its highest level just as Akesson’s ultra-right result appeared on the screens. The Sweden Democrats have swept the country far and wide, with their anti-migrant slogans but at the same time trying to keep aside their borderline pro-Nazi origins to win the votes of the moderate electorate. Many in Europe expected that the black wave that started with the triumph of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt would also stop in Stockholm, turning upside down decades of social and reception policies already heavily undermined by the 4 years of the Kristersson government. «It was a dirty electoral campaign, characterized by many lies. Unfortunately, it was also an electoral campaign that began and ended with the SDs calling their opponents ‘traitors of the homeland'”, Andersson had accused while the polls were still open, making particular reference to the threats suffered on Saturday night by the Social Democratic mayor of Gothenburg Jonas Attenius. In the end, however, the black wave seems to have stopped in the most populous country in Scandinavia. What was perhaps decisive was the very high turnout, the flexibility of being able to vote in any Swedish municipality or embassy in the world up to 19 days before the vote.
The calls from VIPs and Gentiloni’s comment
In the last few hours, several local VIPs have also moved against the possible entry into the government of the ultra-right. From Greta Thunberg to the singer Zara Larsson, up to the composer of Abba, Benny Andersson, there have been calls to vote for the return of the centre-left – and environmental policies – to government. If the results are confirmed, it would be the first time since they entered parliament in 2010 that the Sweden Democrats have retreated. Kristersson, on the other hand, would see his gamble of opening the doors of the executive to the ultra-right collapse. «The centre-left wins in the exit polls in Sweden. Opening up to the far right doesn’t work”, was the comment of former prime minister and European commissioner Paolo Gentiloni.