Sweden faces political chaos after surge of far-right votes makes it impossible to predict who will take control – but all main parties REFUSE to share power with anti-migrant party
Sweden is facing weeks of coalition talks after neither major bloc wins majority to form a government
Far-right Sweden Democrats won 17.6 per cent of the vote after immigration dominated the campaign
Ruling Social Democrats remain largest party at 28.4 per cent but with lowest share since 1908
Leaders of all the seven other parties with seats in parliament have ruled out forming a government with SD
By SARA MALM
DAILYMAIL.COM
10 September 2018
Sweden is facing weeks – if not months – of political uncertainty and complex coalition talks after neither of the country’s two main blocs were able to secure a majority in yesterday’s general election.
Several mainstream parties lost support in favour of the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD), who won 17.6 per cent of the vote amid growing discontent with large-scale immigration.
Despite the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats’ gains, up from 12.9 per cent in the last election, all other parties stand firm in their refusal to govern alongside them.
With 143 versus 144 seats in the 379 seat Parliament, neither the centre-right Alliance – made up of the Moderates, the Centre Party, the Liberal Party and the Christian Democrats – nor a centre-left coalition – Social Democrats, the Greens and Left Party – have mandate to rule.
SD leader Jimmie Åkesson, who has tried to move the party away from its neo-Nazi origins, said this afternoon that he has sent formal invitations to the Moderates and the Christian Democrats to discuss the new Swedish government.
Both parties have confirmed receipt of the invitation, and told Swedish media that they had ‘of course’ turned it down.
The official count will not be finished until Wednesday, as the votes of 165,000 expatriates are still being counted, but regardless of the final toll, Sweden has been left in limbo.
The centre-left Social Democrats party, which has been governing alongside the Greens, remained the largest party, but fell to a historic low of 28.4 per cent of the vote, their worst since 1908.
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