The Democrats of Sweden (SD) have been on a roll in recent weeks. According to all the polling institutes, this far-right formation is able to rise to second place in the legislative elections of this Sunday, September 11, behind the Social Democratic Party of outgoing Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, but ahead of the main right-wing force, the Moderates (conservatives). Such a scenario has never before arisen in this kingdom. “On average, the polls announce 21.2% of the votes for SD”, worried Thursday the daily the express, close to the Liberals.
In the last legislative elections, four years ago, this party created in 1988 had already achieved a record breakthrough with 17.5% of the vote, against 19.8% for the Conservatives (the official results from then are available here in English) . Subsequently, the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences for Sweden of the Russian invasion of Ukraine reduced the presence in the public debate of its favorite themes, namely immigration and the return to order. But the proliferation this summer of settling scores between criminal gangs and growing insecurity in the suburbs and in the city centers have helped to revive the Democrats of Sweden.
“They have now become so prominent that Moderates and Christian Democrats are increasingly trying to emulate their policy proposals and rhetoric in order to attract voter votes,” deplores the editorialist ofAftonbladet, the daily pr