Far-right poised for big wins in Sweden election

The anti-immigration far-right is expected to soar in Sweden's Sep 9 general election, capitalizing on voter discontent as Swedes punish traditional parties over immigration, integration and health care.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's Social Democrats, who have dominated Swedish politics since the 1930s, will remain the biggest party in the country but likely with a record low score, polls suggest.

The far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) are heading to make the most gains and come in a close second, followed by the conservative Moderates. A Skop institute poll published on Sunday, a week before the election, credited the Social Democrats with 23.8 per cent of support, compared with 31 per cent in the 2014 election; SD with 20 percent, up from 13 per cent in 2014; and the Moderates with 17 per cent, down from 23 per cent.

Speaking to AFP after a campaign rally outside Stockholm on Sunday, Lofven criticised the former centre-right government in power from 2006-2014 for having "decreased taxes the most for the richest and decreased resources to our welfare" system. 

"We have shifted that, we have invested a lot in our welfare system, in our schools, in our hospitals ... Investing in our welfare is the right direction." Sweden is known as a pioneer in fields ranging from equality to environmentalism and women's and children's rights. 

It has been hailed for its transparency, consensus-building, strong business climate, low crime and tolerant society. So what happened that made it possible for a party like SD, with roots in the neo-Nazi movement, to "impose its agenda", as Gothenburg University political science professor Ulf Bjereld put it.