Sweden's far right moves closer to role in government - EUROPE SAYS
Supporters of Sweden DemocratsSweden’s far-right Sweden Democrats are moving closer to direct participation in government, with the 2026 general election later this year increasingly likely to result in the. . .
Supporters of Sweden DemocratsSweden’s far-right Sweden Democrats are moving closer to direct participation in government, with the 2026 general election later this year increasingly likely to result in the party’s long march from the neo-nazi fringe to the edges of the cabinet reaching fruition. The party, led by Jimmie Åkesson, already exerts substantial influence over Sweden’s centre-right minority coalition without holding ministerial posts. Decisive leverageUnder the Tidö Agreement, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s government, comprising the Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals, depends on Sweden Democrat support to survive in the Riksdag. That arrangement has given the party decisive leverage over policy on migration, criminal justice and public order, while allowing its coalition partners to maintain a degree of formal distance. Jimmie Akesson Sweden democratsThat distance may not survive the next election. With the governing bloc and the opposition Social Democrats running competitively ahead of the 2026 vote, the Sweden Democrats’ role in any post-election settlement to likely to become more direct. Party prioritiesÅkesson has made clear that his party’s ambitions extend beyond the current arrangement, and the logic of parliamentary arithmetic may deliver what years of political pressure could not. The policy record of the current government already bears the Sweden Democrats’ imprint. Tougher sentencing regimes, expanded police powers and proposed changes to deportation rules for convicted foreign nationals have all followed from the party’s priorities. Tags:nyheterSverigesweden