http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...gains.html
Sweden's Social Democrats likely to win legislative elections Sunday, while far right makes major gains, according to exit poll published with four hours to go before end of voting
Sweden’s Social Democrats look set to reclaim power after eight years in opposition, as the far-Right made historic gains in a general election that spells the demise of the coalition that has ruled the country since 2006.
The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats were expected to double their seats in parliament as frustration grows among the 10 million strong population at liberal asylum rules that have resulted in a growing influx of refugees.
The Social Democrats and their likely coalition partners, the Greens and the Left Party, would get 44.9 per cent of the vote according to opinion polls.
If the poll proves right, Stefan Löfven, the former welder who leads the Social Democrats, looks set to become the next prime minister, although he warned against complacency.
“I’ve said all along that this election is going to be incredibly tough,” the stocky 57-year-old told reporters after he cast his vote in Stockholm Sunday.
YouGov’s poll is in line with other recent surveys suggesting that the Sweden Democrats are set to become the third-largest in the parliament of a nation that has traditionally taken pride in its welcoming attitude towards foreigners.
“The Sweden Democrats is the only political party that wants to stop immigration,” said Anders Sannerstedt, a political scientist at Lund University, who has studied the party closely. “All the other political parties have a united stance.”
Sweden, which has one of Europe’s most generous refugee policies, expects an influx of nearly 90,000 refugees this year - numbers not seen since the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
Voters in Stockholm interviewed by AFP early Sunday were mostly hostile to the Sweden Democrats.
“This time we have this more or less new party on the very right wing,” said Christina Lindvall, a lawyer, adding she was most likely to vote for the Greens. “Those of us who don’t support them need to show that.”
Sweden's Social Democrats likely to win legislative elections Sunday, while far right makes major gains, according to exit poll published with four hours to go before end of voting
Sweden’s Social Democrats look set to reclaim power after eight years in opposition, as the far-Right made historic gains in a general election that spells the demise of the coalition that has ruled the country since 2006.
The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats were expected to double their seats in parliament as frustration grows among the 10 million strong population at liberal asylum rules that have resulted in a growing influx of refugees.
The Social Democrats and their likely coalition partners, the Greens and the Left Party, would get 44.9 per cent of the vote according to opinion polls.
If the poll proves right, Stefan Löfven, the former welder who leads the Social Democrats, looks set to become the next prime minister, although he warned against complacency.
“I’ve said all along that this election is going to be incredibly tough,” the stocky 57-year-old told reporters after he cast his vote in Stockholm Sunday.
YouGov’s poll is in line with other recent surveys suggesting that the Sweden Democrats are set to become the third-largest in the parliament of a nation that has traditionally taken pride in its welcoming attitude towards foreigners.
“The Sweden Democrats is the only political party that wants to stop immigration,” said Anders Sannerstedt, a political scientist at Lund University, who has studied the party closely. “All the other political parties have a united stance.”
Sweden, which has one of Europe’s most generous refugee policies, expects an influx of nearly 90,000 refugees this year - numbers not seen since the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
Voters in Stockholm interviewed by AFP early Sunday were mostly hostile to the Sweden Democrats.
“This time we have this more or less new party on the very right wing,” said Christina Lindvall, a lawyer, adding she was most likely to vote for the Greens. “Those of us who don’t support them need to show that.”