#who is Ebba Busch

[rightnewshindi]

Ebba Busch on Muslims: लेडी लीडर एबा बुश ने लाखों मुस्लिमों को दी यह चेतावनी, दुनियाभर में मचा हड़कंप; जानें कौन है यह नेता

Ebba Busch on Muslims: यूरोप की एक पावरफुल लेडी लीडर ने मुस्लिमों पर बड़ा बयान दिया है. उन्होंने अपने बयान से दुनिया में भूचा ला दिया है. उस महिला नेता ने लाखों मुस्लिमों को ऐसी चेतावनी दे दी है, दुनिया में हड़कंप मच गया है. मुसलमानों को लेकर बयान देने वाली उस महिला नेता का बयान एबा बुश है. वह यूरोपीय देश स्वीडन की डेप्युटी प्राइम मिनिस्टर हैं. एबा बुश के स्वीडन में मुस्लिम शरणार्थियों शरिया को…

[beardedmrbean]

A "dangerous object" found outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm has been destroyed, Swedish police say.

The incident - labelled an "attempted attack" by the Israeli ambassador - saw officers cordon off a wide area nearby.

Police told the BBC it was too early to give further details on the object. They said no-one had been injured.

A spokesman later told the AFP news agency that staff had found a "live" device and alerted officers at about 13:10 local time (12:10 GMT).

The object was assessed by the national bomb squad, who chose to destroy it, the spokesman added.

A reporter for TV4 heard a "bang" at the site.

Meanwhile, national broadcaster SVT said armed police attended the scene and brought sandbags with them, reportedly to use during the disposal of the object.

The Israeli ambassador to Sweden said there had been an "attempted attack" on the embassy and its employees.

"We will not be intimidated by terror," Ziv Nevo Kulman posted on X. He thanked the Swedish authorities for their "swift action".

In her own post, Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch said she was "shaken", adding: "The hatred against Israel is frightening. Violent extremism must be stopped."

Police say they are investigating, and have not said who might have planted the suspicious device.

The embassy is located by the waterside in the affluent Ostermalm area of Stockholm's city centre.

[in4newz]

Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Ebba Busch: A Strong Message on Integration

"Islam must adapt to Swedish values. Muslims who do not integrate must leave the country. Honor killings, beheadings, stoning of women, and Sharia law have no place here."

A firm stance from the Swedish Deputy Prime Minister as she emphasizes the importance of integration and rejects practices that conflict with Sweden's core values.

Source1

Source2

[3-cats-in-a-coat]

Theoretically the person in the government who’s in charge of who gets to talk and when should just be some random person who doesn’t give a flying fuck about politics, doesn’t know who any of the politicians are, only ever votes based on vibes and who has the best logo. They should also exclusively refer to the different politicians as if they’re a shitty substitute teacher filling in at a rough school. Like, [referring to Ebba Busch] “You there, the blonde lady, with the shitty makeup, who doesn’t seem to like Muslims very much? Yes you. What did you want to say?” Or like “Hey you, yeah you, the really short guy?”

[skeppsbrott]

Rating Nobel Dinner outfits

I’m home sick so we’re gonna look at the most specialiest of awards shows, ie the one where a bunch of very intelligent and/or rich and/or influential and/or un/lucky people get to eat a very expensive dinner on camera. I am Swedish and obviously biased but here we go.

Warning for long post so if you’re on your PC press J to skip and if you’re on phone idk suffer or something.

Starting off with the Swedish royal house because idk they’re the hosts?

Okay they’re not but whatever.

Fun fact, I once had a teacher who worked in the castle wardrobes and the specifications about who gets to wear what and how and when is out of this world. LEFT TO RIGHT:

QUEEN SILVIA – Best part of this is the colour contrast between the purple and the baby blue. Looks kinda cheap aside from that. I am sure the lace fabric is very high in quality but my immediate reference is always going to be F21 tumblr girlies anno 2013. 4/10

CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA – Looks like the collective American imagination of what a Crown Princess looks like so it is sort of like reviewing the concept of socks. That said, what is going on with the puckered hem? Queen also seems to have this issue. Come on. 5/10

PRINCESS CHRISTINA – Aspirational grandmother aesthetic. Cute! 6/10

PRINCESS SOFIA – Setting a standard, as it were. The high and decorated collar, the subtle quality of the material and colour, the cut of the skirt. I have some concerns about the end of the sleeves but if this was the minimum bar for royal gala wear I might be tempted by royalism. 7/10

Oh and you may notice a suspicious absence of menswear in this list and that is because those who wear anything but immaculate white tie are intensely rare.

THE NOBEL LAURATES

Ok so again with the white tie cavalcade but I want to give a shout out for laurate in medicine Svante Pääbo who 1) assumed he was gay until he met his wife and colleague Linda Vigilant and fell for her “boyish charms” before 2) proceeding to move in with her and her husband to live in some sort of throuple? Altogether, the bisexual representation we deserve.

LINDA VIGILANT – They’re a bit difficult to spot but there are DNA spirals on her shawl! Very synyhetic looking but understated colour with some lovely amber jewellery that looks excellent on her. Love the big chunky glasses. 7/10

ANNIE ERNAUX – Laurate in literature. Exactly what I think of when I think of “dignified French authoress”. 5/10

CAROLYN R. BERTOZZI – Laurate in chemistry. Very good use of two-toned fabric and sparkles. The slight pinstripe gives it something to hold onto, even if it doesn’t photograph well. 8/10

BETH PRICE – Partner of Bertozzi. First same-sex Nobel laurate partner. Can’t really see the dress but I am always biased towards black and red two-tone and she looks handsome in it. 6/10

PHAEDRIA MARIE ST. HILAIRE – Partner of Morten Meldal (laurate in chemistry). I haaaate the train. Looked super cheap in motion as well and especially when contrasted with Vigilant’s DNA spirals. 3/10

 THE SWEDISH PARTY LEADERS

Head of parliament is Ulf Kristersson and he is a despicable little man, contrasted with the leader of the Liberal party Johan Pehrson, who is a despicable big man. Additionally there is Jimmy Åkesson who is leader of the Sweden Democrats and simply despicable. But he wasn’t invited so at least there is that. Sole representative of the conservatives is thus Ebba Busch:

 EBBA BUSCH – Christian Democrat. Some of my friends were really into this but again with the lace fabric… I also think it is very bottom heavy and unflattering. It’s like someone mashed up a wedding dress and a Victorian mourning gown. At least the bodice is flattering. 4/10

ANNIE LÖÖF – Centre party. Obligatory green dress on a redhead. I like that it is deceptively simple, I like the train, I like the use of a visually interesting fabric but maybe it is a bit too much. Wish she would have gone with a statement necklace + more narrow sleeves. 6/10

NOOSHI DADGOSTAR – Leftist party. There is nothing revolutionary about this dress but at least it sits well on her. Next. 3/10

MAGDALENA ANDERSSON – Social Democrat. Perfectly executed simplicity. Gorgeous fabric. Flattering cut. True mother-of-the-country moment. Ulf watch your back because this is a political revenge dress. 9/10

MÄRTA STENEVI – Green party. Not visible here is the ouster shell jewellery which I LOVED. Environmentalism aside this dress fucks and I love it. The smooth upper chest area combined with the fluffy and busy skirt and sleeves? The colours? Playful and attention grabbing and sincere all at the same time. 10/10

OTHERS

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT – Musician. Perhaps the only time Wainwright will out-rockstar Kevin Shields (who is here as partner to the daughter of one of the laurates). Admittedly a bit of a walk over but I like it! 7/10

ELIN KLINGA – Actress. When contrasted with Stenevi this becomes exponentially more horrifying. @ Nobel fashion coverage please stop putting this in front of my eyes. 2/10

WHOEVER THIS IS (member of Samédiggi?) – Excellent use of gákti. Land rights for Sámi/10

PERNILLA MÅNSSON COLT – TV host. Could be the platonic ideal of a black velvet evening gown but I don’t like the fit and I don’t like the fabric. 5/10

JESSIKA GEDIN – TV host. Exemplary queering of the male white tie ensemble. Excellent nails and other details. Could only be improved by being part of a pair. 9/10

CECILIA GRALDE – TV host. Very flattering colour and looks great in motion but genuinely the toned glasses are what makes this look. The MILF of the nation. 8/10

VICTORIA DYRING – TV host. Hair buns! Though looks kinda Star Wars when combined with the wrap collar? Big fan of the well-executed one-massive-sleeve. 7/10

[kara-is-a-cutie]

What in the hell happened over in Sweden, it’s like the voters gave foxes control of the henhouse over there; I’m fucking nervous for yall over here in America considering we have elections in a month and a half and there’s a high chance that it’ll be a shitty day for us too

Apologies in advance, I ended up going on a whole ass rant lol

The same thing that happened in the US in 2016 is happening for us now, we're just lucky that we're not in essentially a two party system like y'all are. People are tired of the establishment and scared due to the recent gang violence and thus are voting for the party that seems different in hopes something will change.

People forget and/or ignore that since the left got back into power the right has stopped them at every step and forced them to follow a right wing budget and go on to complain that they haven't done any of the things they promised. A lot of our issues pre pandemic and Ukrainian war also stem from the 8 years when the right were in power, but as you're probably familiar, the right loves blaming the left for their own incompetence. The leftist part have also fucked themselves and the left block over by being uncooperative until just recently. The Swedish Democrats (SD), a party formed by literal Nazis, are in regards to their worker's rights politics quite close to the Social Democrats (S) which has made it easy for many voters to switch sides. I don't have an issue with this part of SD's politics, the issues arise when it comes to ppl of colour, women, queer ppl etc. They've had openly bigoted people in their party, some of them who have proudly touted being neonazis, for most of their history they've been anti queer rights and even now when they've started accepting gay and trans ppl they still refuse to respect and acknowledge the Q in LGBTQ. They've talked about setting the limit for abortion at 12 weeks instead of the current 18 and many of their party members misogynistic.

The one saving grace with them is that they don't want to be in charge, at least not fully. They're the second biggest party in Parliament currently, but their leader has already said he doesn't wish to be stateminister (although they want a few positions in a right wing government). I'm quite sure this is because they know they do best as the opposition. As long as they're the ones criticising the people in power they look strong, but the few times they've held any level of government they've failed and at least once bankrupted the county they governed.

Then we got the other conservative party Kristdemokraterna (Christ Democrats KD) whose current leader Ebba Busch is a convicted criminal who is out on probation. She committed slander, plead guilty to it and then went out in the press and said that while she plead guilty, she believes herself innocent which I believe ended up getting her in even more trouble. Since RvW was overturned she's insisted her party isn't pro life, but many of the top ranking politicians in her party have said very much the opposite throughout the years, including her if I remember correctly. Simply put they're self righteous hypocrites, but I doubt that surprised anyone.

There's so much more fuckery and I worry about what rights we may lose and how many young men of colour will be murdered by the police in the next 4 years. We're heading into darker times and I fear for us all.

[organizedstudy]

A vague crash course in Swedish politics

Disclaimer! I’m not an expert on Swedish politics but I’ve tried to fact-check everything. The election is just days away as I’m typing this so obviously the percentages etc will change shortly. I’ve tried to be as neutral as I can but facts is there are some racist, sexist parties here and I will not just let that pass. I’d advice you to read about the parties yourself so you get a better picture of their politics. (DN has a “the party in 1 minute on their Instagram for a quick overview!)  You can also do Valkompassen (the election compass) at SVT, SR (or google it to get more results). Rösta!!

We vote on the second Sunday of September (7/9 this year)

We vote every 4 years

You have to be 18 to vote

We vote in 3 elections, Parliament, County Council and Municipality

You have to be a Swedish citizen to vote for Parliament

You have to be on the national registration list (folkbokföringslistan) to vote in the other two elections

If you’re not from the EU, Norway or Iceland you have to have been on that list for at least 3 consecutive years before election day

The parliament has 349 seats, an uneven number to avoid ties

A party has to get at least 4% of the votes to get into parliament

There are currently 8 parties in the Swedish Parliament, 5 on the right wing and 3 on the left wing

We currently have a left wing minority government composed by Socialdemokraterna (S) “The Social Democrats” and Miljöpartiet (MP) “The Environment Party”. They have been ruling since 2014

4 of the right wing parties make up Alliansen “The Alliance”

These 4 parties are: Moderaterna (M) “The Moderates”, Centerpartiet (C) “The center party”, Liberalerna (L) “The Liberals” and Kristdemokraterna (KD) “The Christ Democrats”

Vänsterpartiet (V) “The Left Party” is the party most to the left in the parliament

Sverigedemokraterna (SD) “The Sweden Democrats” is the party most to the right in the parliament, they first got into the parliament in 2014

In Sweden we have this political event called Almedalsveckan (named after the place where it’s held, Almedalen in Visby on the island Gotland) which is a week (week 27) where parties, non-profit organizations and companies meet to discuss politics and societal issues. It’s a really big deal in Swedish politics

This is quite a long post so I’ll put the rest about the parties and more specific about this election 2018 below the cut.

The parties

Socialdemokraterna (S)

Party leader since 2012 is Stefan Löfven

Votes last election: 31,01%

Members are called socialdemokrater or sossar

Left wing but have recently gone more towards the middle and are considering working with some of the right-wing parties

The party that “built” Sweden with “folkhemmet” and the social welfare

Website

Moderaterna (M)

Party leader since 2017 is Ulf Kristersson

Votes last election: 23,33%

Members are called moderater

The biggest of the right-wing parties

Considers working with Sverigedemokraterna

Website

Sverigedemokraterna (SD)

Party leader since 2005 is Jimmie Åkesson

Votes last election: 12,86%

Members are called sverigedemokrater or SDare (or fascister, nasister, rasister)

Has its roots in nazims and fascism and still has a lot of nazist in the party

Has had a lot of scandals with top-politicians saying and doing a lot of racist, homophobic, sexist etc stuff

Has voted against all laws seeking to improve the life of lgbt+ people

One of their top-politicians have twice said that sami people and jews aren’t swedes but they still claim to be “the best party for sami people” like ehm no

Website

Miljöpartiet (MP)

Party leaders are Isabella Lövin (since 2016) and Gustav Fridolin (since 2011)

Votes last election: 6,89 %

Members are called: miljöpartister

They are the only party currently in the parliament that has two party leaders, in Swedish they are called “språkrör” the reason is to promote equality on all levels and ease the workload. A språkrör cannot stay for more than 9 years in a row

They are the Swedish equivalent to different green parties around the world so environmental issues is their biggest question

Website

Centerpartiet (C)

Party leader since 2006 is Annie Lööf

Votes last election: 6,11 %

Members are called: centerpartister

One of their main questions is the improvement of life on the countryside

Website

Vänsterpartiet (V)

Party leader since 2012 is Jonas Sjöstedt

Votes last election: 5,72 %

Members are called: vänsterpartister

Will according to polls do one of their best elections since 1998

Are really popular among young people (since young people tend to be more leftist)

Is a feminist party and probably the only party that isn’t considering working with some blue parties

Website

Liberalerna (L)

Party leader since 2007 is Jan Björklund

Votes last election: 5,42 %

Members are called: liberaler

Has recently changed name from Folkpartiet

Their main thing is education

Website

Kristdemokraterna (KD)

Party leader since 2015 is Ebba Busch Thor

Votes last election: 4,57 %

Members are called: kristdemokrater or KDare

Are on the verge of not getting into the parliament as you have to have 4% of the votes

They talk a lot about how to improve the life of the elders

Website

Elections 2018

This section is more of my personal interpretation and opinions about this election period. This will of course, not be as generic as the previous sections and it is colored by the articles I’ve read and the people I talk about politics with, the activists I follow on instagram, in short, more politically colored.

This year DN (on of the biggest newspapers in Sweden) have an amazing initiative where everyone with a Swedish social security number can get access to their digital newspaper for free up until the day after the elections in order to provide people with real journalism to be able to vote based on facts (which is such an important part of democracy)

A big big thing is the question of SD. Who will collaborate with them? How much power will they get (recent polls estimates them becoming the second largest party which is sickening tbh)? Should I vote tactically to decrease their possibility of becoming the largest party?

Recently the abortion debate has been brought up again since SD wants abortions to be illegal after week 12 (it’s currently week 18), they also want nurses to refuse to perform abortions :))) so that’s a mess

Another thing with SD is the extreme normalization of racism etc that they have contributed to

Parties are going more and more towards right and they say things that would never have been accepted before

Nazist groups such as Nordiska motståndsrörelsen (NMR) and Alternativ för Sverige (AfS) have been given permission to marsch and protest several times which is 100% unacceptable and we really should forbid nazist groups because people don’t feel safe anymore

This year at Almedalsveckan NMR were there and it made a lot of people very uneasy since they are very violent and against the pure existence of LBGT+ and POC. The LGBT+ organization RFSL decided to leave because they didn’t feel safe which obviously is a huge threat to democracy

When I say they are nazist I mean it 100%, there are self-proclaimed nazist proudly going around here and it’s so fucking scary

Another important topic is the climate as a consequence of climate change getting very obvious with the several forest fires we experienced this summer.

Questions regarding sexual assault and rape following #metoo which was a really big thing here last fall

Of course some people (SD, M, probably more) want to blame this on immigration (which is wrong since in most cases the victim knows the rapist since before and there is no evidence that people born abroad rape more than others)

Feministisk initiativ (FI)

A party that might enter the parliament this year

They are, as the name suggests, a true feminist party with an intersectional perspective

Party leaders are Gita Nabavi and Gudrun Schyman (former party leader of Vänsterpartiet)

Website

There has been a lot of discussion about breaking up the traditional left-right scale and to collaborate over the political blocks

Ok, sorry I have to mention how wack Liberalerna’s Instagram page is?? It’s so weird? They literally have a video of their party leader (Jan Björklund) doing that flossing dance?? Also a screenshot of a newsarticle saying “Jan Björklund elected the hunk of this election season”?? Sorry but what??

[jangillman]

Republished from Armstrong Economics

New Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is not heeding to the Green agenda. He promptly eliminated the entire Ministry of Climate and Environment, marking the first time in 35 years that Sweden does not have a specific climate ministry. People are crying that the world will crumble without funding bureaucrats who pretend they have the ability to alter the weather cycle with enough funding.

Klaus Schwab’s plans for Agenda 2030 are in jeopardy. “Environmental issues are going to be given a disadvantage at the same time when we have a huge challenge in Sweden when it comes to biodiversity and forestry,” stated Stockholm University professor Karin Bäckstrand. “We won’t meet the Agenda 2030 goals on biodiversity.”

Democratic leader Ebba Busch will serve as the new Minister for Energy, and 26-year-old Liberal Romina Pourmokhtari will serve as the Minister for the Environment. The Nationalist Sweden Democrats do not support the goal of achieving net zero emissions.

Instead, the new government is prioritising nuclear power initiatives that will make it increasingly difficult to shut down existing plants while using €36 billion to build new nuclear power stations. The new government is also considering reopening two nuclear power plants that discontinued operations in recent years. Yet another example of how Agenda 2030 and Schwab’s plan to alter the world will fail.



[pojkflata]

ebba busch thor manages to simentaneously look like a FOX news anchor as well as that girl who bullied you in high school and now tries to sell you autism curing snake oil on facebook, she exudes two very distinct but very chaotically evil energies at the same time

[duchessofostergotlands]

40 years of Crown Princess Victoria. Grattis på födelsedagen, Vikkan. 

Looking at Hollywood and the stories that many grew up with, the image of a princess is hugely superficial. And I really think that the Crown Princess helps to tear that picture down.

- Swedish politician Ebba Busch Thor

(When asked who his personal role model is) My wife

- Prince Daniel, her husband

I feel like a step-brother sometimes. Of course I’ll help her and share my experiences with her if she needs my support. And I get a lot of great input from her as well

- Crown Prince Frederik, her second cousin and friend

As a mother, I think of course that Victoria is an amazing person, with great compassion, a good heart, intelligence. She will be a good Queen. She is a good mother and a good person.

- Queen Silvia, her mother

Our relation is, however, deeper than that between a monarch and his successor. I am your father. You are my beloved daughter. No one should believe anything else than that my highest wish has always been — and is — to see you happy.

- King Carl XVI Gustaf, her father

Victoria took a lot of responsibility for us (Madeleine and Carl Philip) and looked after us. She’s also very creative and that makes her such a wonderful sister. She invented fun games, we built the most beautiful tree houses. She always did everything for us.

- Princess Madeleine, her little sister

She spends time with everyone she meets. She is always engaged and well-informed. She has a warm charisma and is a very beautiful lady, who touches everyone she meets. She is truly a fine representative of our country.

 Kay Wiestål, the organiser of Victoriadagen

[todaynewsstories]

Swedish PM Stefan Lofven loses vote of confidence | Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW

Swedish PM Stefan Lofven lost a mandatory confidence vote on Tuesday. The confidence vote is mandatory after a general election. Lofven’s ouster was expected and now it is up to the speaker, Andreas Norlen of the opposition Alliance bloc, to task Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson with forming a new government. 

In order to pass legislation through parliament, some MPs on the right wing would like the Alliance to cooperate with the Sweden Democrats, now the country’s third-biggest party. For two of the four Alliance parties –the Center and Liberals — that option is unacceptable.

Sweden’s two traditional blocs emerged neck-and-neck after the country’s September 9 election. Lofven’s center-left bloc won 144 seats, compared with 143 for the rival center-right Alliance bloc. Both fell short of a majority as support for the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats made gains, giving it 62 seats in the 349-seat parliament.   

The Alliance bloc has been calling for Lofven to step down since the election.

Read more: Sweden’s general election results in stalemate as far-right support surges

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven — Social Democrats (SAP)

This election is unlikely to pan out well for Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. His Social Democrats have dominated Swedish politics since the 1930s and effectively built up the country’s welfare state. Now, however, the SAP is expected to record a low score. Lofven has been attacked by the right for his open-door migrant policy, and from the left for later slamming that door shut.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Ulf Kristersson — Moderate Party

Ulf Kristersson’s Moderates will be battling with the far-right Sweden Democrats for popularity this year and could fall to third place. Kristersson’s stance towards the far-right remains ambiguous: while he has ruled out cooperating with them, he has stopped short of labeling them as racist. On policy, the party has remained true to its name, focusing mainly on law and order, and job creation.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jimmie Akesson — Swedish Democrats (SD)

In 2014, the far-right Sweden Democrats saw a monumental rise in support, taking 13 percent of the vote. This year, the party is tipped to take as much as 20 percent and could finish second ahead of the Moderates. The SD’s popularity is largely due to rising anti-migrant sentiment (Sweden took in over 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015) and Akesson’s efforts cleanse the party of its neo-Nazi roots.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Gustav Fridolin and Isabella Lovin — Green Party

Despite finishing a disappointing fourth in 2014, Sweden’s Greens entered the government in a minority coalition with the SAP. But a series of crises since have seen support erode. Education Minister Gustav Fridolin became the youngest MP in Swedish history back in 2002, when he was elected aged 19. Isabella Lovin, minister for international development, has enjoyed a career in politics and media.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Annie Loof — Center Party

Sweden’s Center Party emerged from the country’s Farmers’ League, and while agriculture and environment remain key polices, Annie Loof has emerged as the party’s hope to attract urban and more progressive voters. Its strategy is paying off, a survey published last year put the Center Party at 11.3 percent — its highest polling in 27 years.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jonas Sjostedt — Left Party

Left Party chief Jonas Sjostedt, a former metal worker and union leader, is a political veteran on the left. After serving in the European Parliament from 1995-2006, Sjostedt returned to Swedish politics and was elected to parliament in 2010 before becoming party leader two years later. The Left Party acts as a force against privatization and supports higher taxes to fund Sweden’s welfare state.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jan Bjorklund — Liberals

A former army major, Liberal Party leader Jan Bjorklund has adopted a fighting yet disciplined approach to politics. The results have been mixed; its social reforms around education and equality have been received well, but its calls to expand the military and join NATO have mostly fallen on deaf ears. As a result, the Liberals have failed to capitalize on the Moderates’ falling polling numbers.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Ebba Busch Thor — Christian Democrats (KD)

Sweden’s Christian Democrats have struggled to attract wide support, despite attempts to distance itself from religious roots. Meanwhile, the party’s increasingly harsh tone towards migration appears to have alienated more voters with Christian values than it has drawn in new ones. The Christian Democrats are expected to barely scrape past the 4 percent threshold needed to enter parliament.

Author: David Martin

Traditional blocs

The left-wing bloc — made up of the Left Party, the governing Social Democrats and the Green Party — emerged with 40.6 percent of the vote. Lofven, the bloc’s leader, ruled out cooperating with the Sweden Democrats.

The opposition Alliance bloc — comprised of the Moderate Party, Center Party, Liberals and Christian Democrats — scored 40.3 percent of September’s vote. The Alliance could achieve a majority if it teamed up with the Sweden Democrats. However, the Center Party and Liberals would likely not agree to join with the far right. The bloc’s other two parties, the Moderates and Christian Democrats are open to joining with the Sweden Democrats, providing they had no influence over policy.

The Alliance hoped that the Social Democrats or Greens would break from their traditional blocs and join them, but Lofven rejected that idea.

(Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson invited the other two parties to formal negotiations, but was rejected.)

Read more: Neo-Nazi background hounds Sweden Democrats

Next steps

On Monday, parliament also elected Andreas Norlen of the opposition Alliance bloc as its speaker, giving the four-party group a slight advantage. One of Norlen’s first tasks is to choose a prime ministerial candidate. He is permitted to give a maximum of four potential PMs the opportunity to form a government. If they all fail, fresh elections will be called.

av, kw, XX (dpa, Reuters)

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Sweden faces weeks in political limbo after far right makes gains | Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW

Sweden’s center-left and center-right blocs emerged neck-and-neck after Sunday’s election. The far-right Sweden Democrats made significant gains to hold third place.

The parliamentary election was one of Sweden’s most important because the the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats — who rose from the white supremacist and neo-Nazi fringe — were expected to gain significant strength and change the landscape of Swedish politics.  Read more: Sweden’s general election results in stalemate as far-right support surges 

Neck-and-neck

An initial allocation of parliamentary seats gave the center-left 144 seats compared with 143 for the center-right Alliance bloc.

The far-right Sweden Democrats gained 13 seats to hold third place with 62 seats.

175 seats are required to form a majority in the 349-seat Riksdag.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven — Social Democrats (SAP)

This election is unlikely to pan out well for Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. His Social Democrats have dominated Swedish politics since the 1930s and effectively built up the country’s welfare state. Now, however, the SAP is expected to record a low score. Lofven has been attacked by the right for his open-door migrant policy, and from the left for later slamming that door shut.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Ulf Kristersson — Moderate Party

Ulf Kristersson’s Moderates will be battling with the far-right Sweden Democrats for popularity this year and could fall to third place. Kristersson’s stance towards the far-right remains ambiguous: while he has ruled out cooperating with them, he has stopped short of labeling them as racist. On policy, the party has remained true to its name, focusing mainly on law and order, and job creation.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jimmie Akesson — Swedish Democrats (SD)

In 2014, the far-right Sweden Democrats saw a monumental rise in support, taking 13 percent of the vote. This year, the party is tipped to take as much as 20 percent and could finish second ahead of the Moderates. The SD’s popularity is largely due to rising anti-migrant sentiment (Sweden took in over 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015) and Akesson’s efforts cleanse the party of its neo-Nazi roots.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Gustav Fridolin and Isabella Lovin — Green Party

Despite finishing a disappointing fourth in 2014, Sweden’s Greens entered the government in a minority coalition with the SAP. But a series of crises since have seen support erode. Education Minister Gustav Fridolin became the youngest MP in Swedish history back in 2002, when he was elected aged 19. Isabella Lovin, minister for international development, has enjoyed a career in politics and media.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Annie Loof — Center Party

Sweden’s Center Party emerged from the country’s Farmers’ League, and while agriculture and environment remain key polices, Annie Loof has emerged as the party’s hope to attract urban and more progressive voters. Its strategy is paying off, a survey published last year put the Center Party at 11.3 percent — its highest polling in 27 years.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jonas Sjostedt — Left Party

Left Party chief Jonas Sjostedt, a former metal worker and union leader, is a political veteran on the left. After serving in the European Parliament from 1995-2006, Sjostedt returned to Swedish politics and was elected to parliament in 2010 before becoming party leader two years later. The Left Party acts as a force against privatization and supports higher taxes to fund Sweden’s welfare state.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jan Bjorklund — Liberals

A former army major, Liberal Party leader Jan Bjorklund has adopted a fighting yet disciplined approach to politics. The results have been mixed; its social reforms around education and equality have been received well, but its calls to expand the military and join NATO have mostly fallen on deaf ears. As a result, the Liberals have failed to capitalize on the Moderates’ falling polling numbers.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Ebba Busch Thor — Christian Democrats (KD)

Sweden’s Christian Democrats have struggled to attract wide support, despite attempts to distance itself from religious roots. Meanwhile, the party’s increasingly harsh tone towards migration appears to have alienated more voters with Christian values than it has drawn in new ones. The Christian Democrats are expected to barely scrape past the 4 percent threshold needed to enter parliament.

Author: David Martin

Read more: Opinion: The far-right twist in the Swedish fairytale

Cold shoulder for the far right

“The Alliance will not govern or discuss how to form a government with the Sweden Democrats,” said Ulf Kristersson, head of the Moderates. “In some sense we’re happy the Sweden Democrats didn’t grow more than they did,” said the Liberal Party lawmaker Allan Widman.

While far-right leaders in Austria, Italy and France hailed the Sweden Democrats’ results. “Sweden, birthplace of multiculturalism and model for the left, has finally decided to change after years of wild, uncontrolled immigration,” Italy’s far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, said on Twitter. 

More to come…

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Sweden′s general election results in stalemate as far-right support surges | News | DW

The far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats who rose from the white supremacist and neo-Nazi fringe, saw their share of the vote rise from 12.9 percent in 2014 to 17.6 percent in Sunday’s poll. They had been expressing hopes of a result far higher, but it still represents the largest gain by any party in the Riksdag.

If confirmed, the result translates to 63 parliamentary seats for the Sweden Democrats, up from 49 seats in 2014. Party chief Jimmie Akesson told members: “We will gain huge influence over what happens in Sweden during the coming weeks, months and years.”

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven’s left-leaning bloc emerged with only a slight lead in the general elections. Both Lofven’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left Party bloc, as well as the opposition center-right Alliance won around 40 percent, well short of the required majority.

The prime minister’s party lost 13 seats in parliament – their worst result in a century. Meanwhile, the junior coalition Green party even saw their support fall dangerously close to the 4 percent threshold for participation in the parliament.

Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said he would stay in his post for the next fortnight until the new parliament opens.

“The voters have made their choice, now it’s up to all of us decent parties to wait for the final result and then negotiate (and) cooperate to move Sweden forward in a responsible way,” Lofven said. He would “work calmly as prime minister with respect to the voters and Sweden’s electoral system.”

He called on the centrist Alliance to discuss a “cross-bloc cooperation.”

Swedish PM invites ‘decent parties’ to talk after deadlock With just 30,000 votes separating the two groups, the 300,000 votes from Swedes living abroad and those who voted late will be key. They will only be reported on Wednesday.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven — Social Democrats (SAP)

This election is unlikely to pan out well for Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. His Social Democrats have dominated Swedish politics since the 1930s and effectively built up the country’s welfare state. Now, however, the SAP is expected to record a low score. Lofven has been attacked by the right for his open-door migrant policy, and from the left for later slamming that door shut.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Ulf Kristersson — Moderate Party

Ulf Kristersson’s Moderates will be battling with the far-right Sweden Democrats for popularity this year and could fall to third place. Kristersson’s stance towards the far-right remains ambiguous: while he has ruled out cooperating with them, he has stopped short of labeling them as racist. On policy, the party has remained true to its name, focusing mainly on law and order, and job creation.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jimmie Akesson — Swedish Democrats (SD)

In 2014, the far-right Sweden Democrats saw a monumental rise in support, taking 13 percent of the vote. This year, the party is tipped to take as much as 20 percent and could finish second ahead of the Moderates. The SD’s popularity is largely due to rising anti-migrant sentiment (Sweden took in over 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015) and Akesson’s efforts cleanse the party of its neo-Nazi roots.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Gustav Fridolin and Isabella Lovin — Green Party

Despite finishing a disappointing fourth in 2014, Sweden’s Greens entered the government in a minority coalition with the SAP. But a series of crises since have seen support erode. Education Minister Gustav Fridolin became the youngest MP in Swedish history back in 2002, when he was elected aged 19. Isabella Lovin, minister for international development, has enjoyed a career in politics and media.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Annie Loof — Center Party

Sweden’s Center Party emerged from the country’s Farmers’ League, and while agriculture and environment remain key polices, Annie Loof has emerged as the party’s hope to attract urban and more progressive voters. Its strategy is paying off, a survey published last year put the Center Party at 11.3 percent — its highest polling in 27 years.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jonas Sjostedt — Left Party

Left Party chief Jonas Sjostedt, a former metal worker and union leader, is a political veteran on the left. After serving in the European Parliament from 1995-2006, Sjostedt returned to Swedish politics and was elected to parliament in 2010 before becoming party leader two years later. The Left Party acts as a force against privatization and supports higher taxes to fund Sweden’s welfare state.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jan Bjorklund — Liberals

A former army major, Liberal Party leader Jan Bjorklund has adopted a fighting yet disciplined approach to politics. The results have been mixed; its social reforms around education and equality have been received well, but its calls to expand the military and join NATO have mostly fallen on deaf ears. As a result, the Liberals have failed to capitalize on the Moderates’ falling polling numbers.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Ebba Busch Thor — Christian Democrats (KD)

Sweden’s Christian Democrats have struggled to attract wide support, despite attempts to distance itself from religious roots. Meanwhile, the party’s increasingly harsh tone towards migration appears to have alienated more voters with Christian values than it has drawn in new ones. The Christian Democrats are expected to barely scrape past the 4 percent threshold needed to enter parliament.

Author: David Martin

Anti-immigration party makes gains

For his part, Lofven expressed disappointment: “I’m of course disappointed that a party (the Sweden Democrats) with roots in Nazism can win so much ground in our time.”

Akesson and his party had made much of its opposition to Sweden’s immigration policy which hsaw 163,000 asylum seekers arrive in the country in 2015. While the number of asylum seekers has dropped since, concerns over pressure on the welfare system, a shortage of doctors and teachers and a rise in some kinds of crime have been main election issues.

Jimmie Akesson, leader of the Sweden Democrats, celebrated his party’s growing influence on politics

Center-right rejects far-right

Center-right Alliance leader Ulf Kristersson called on Lofven to resign, but pushed back against any idea of an alliance with the far-right.

“We have been completely clear during the whole election,” Kristersson said of his four-party grouping. “The Alliance will not govern or discuss how to form a government with the Sweden Democrats.”

The speaker of parliament is expected to consult party leaders and ask the one most likely to succeed to then form a government.

jm/rg (Reuters, AFP)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW’s editors send out a selection of the day’s hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

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Sweden′s parties to negotiate after close elections with far-right gains | News | DW

Resisting calls to resign from the Moderates center-right alliance, who took a provisional 19.3 percent of the vote, Swedish Social Democratic Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said he would stay in his post for the next fortnight until the new parliament opens.

“The voters have made their choice, now it’s up to all of us decent parties to wait for the final result and then negotiate (and) cooperate to move Sweden forward in a responsible way,” Lofven said. He would “work calmly as prime minister with respect to the voters and Sweden’s electoral system.”

He called on the centrist Alliance to discuss a “cross-bloc cooperation.”

With 99.8 percent of districts counted, Lofven’s social democratic alliance with the Greens and Left Party had 40.6 percent of the vote. The opposition center-right Alliance had 40.3 percent. With just 30,000 votes separating the two groups, the 300,000 votes from Swedes living abroad and those who voted late will be key. They will only be reported on Wednesday.

Translated to seats in parliament, if the results are confirmed, Lofven’s alliance would have 144 seats and the Alliance would have 142 in the 349 seat parliament, well short of the 175 needed for a majority.

Preliminary results from Sunday’s election showed Lofven’s Social Democrats with 28.1 percent of the vote, and a loss of 13 seats from the previous elections in 2014 which represents their worst result in a century. Lofven’s Green party partners also saw their support fall, dangerously close to the 4 percent threshold for participation in the parliament.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven — Social Democrats (SAP)

This election is unlikely to pan out well for Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. His Social Democrats have dominated Swedish politics since the 1930s and effectively built up the country’s welfare state. Now, however, the SAP is expected to record a low score. Lofven has been attacked by the right for his open-door migrant policy, and from the left for later slamming that door shut.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Ulf Kristersson — Moderate Party

Ulf Kristersson’s Moderates will be battling with the far-right Sweden Democrats for popularity this year and could fall to third place. Kristersson’s stance towards the far-right remains ambiguous: while he has ruled out cooperating with them, he has stopped short of labeling them as racist. On policy, the party has remained true to its name, focusing mainly on law and order, and job creation.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jimmie Akesson — Swedish Democrats (SD)

In 2014, the far-right Sweden Democrats saw a monumental rise in support, taking 13 percent of the vote. This year, the party is tipped to take as much as 20 percent and could finish second ahead of the Moderates. The SD’s popularity is largely due to rising anti-migrant sentiment (Sweden took in over 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015) and Akesson’s efforts cleanse the party of its neo-Nazi roots.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Gustav Fridolin and Isabella Lovin — Green Party

Despite finishing a disappointing fourth in 2014, Sweden’s Greens entered the government in a minority coalition with the SAP. But a series of crises since have seen support erode. Education Minister Gustav Fridolin became the youngest MP in Swedish history back in 2002, when he was elected aged 19. Isabella Lovin, minister for international development, has enjoyed a career in politics and media.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Annie Loof — Center Party

Sweden’s Center Party emerged from the country’s Farmers’ League, and while agriculture and environment remain key polices, Annie Loof has emerged as the party’s hope to attract urban and more progressive voters. Its strategy is paying off, a survey published last year put the Center Party at 11.3 percent — its highest polling in 27 years.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jonas Sjostedt — Left Party

Left Party chief Jonas Sjostedt, a former metal worker and union leader, is a political veteran on the left. After serving in the European Parliament from 1995-2006, Sjostedt returned to Swedish politics and was elected to parliament in 2010 before becoming party leader two years later. The Left Party acts as a force against privatization and supports higher taxes to fund Sweden’s welfare state.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jan Bjorklund — Liberals

A former army major, Liberal Party leader Jan Bjorklund has adopted a fighting yet disciplined approach to politics. The results have been mixed; its social reforms around education and equality have been received well, but its calls to expand the military and join NATO have mostly fallen on deaf ears. As a result, the Liberals have failed to capitalize on the Moderates’ falling polling numbers.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Ebba Busch Thor — Christian Democrats (KD)

Sweden’s Christian Democrats have struggled to attract wide support, despite attempts to distance itself from religious roots. Meanwhile, the party’s increasingly harsh tone towards migration appears to have alienated more voters with Christian values than it has drawn in new ones. The Christian Democrats are expected to barely scrape past the 4 percent threshold needed to enter parliament.

Author: David Martin

Rising right

The far-right Sweden Democrats who rose from the white supremacist and neo-Nazi fringe, saw their share of the vote rise from 12.9 percent in 2014 to 17.6 percent in Sunday’s poll. They had been expressing hopes of a result far higher but it still represents the largest gain by any party in the Riksdag.

If confirmed, the result translates to 63 parliamentary seats for the Sweden Democrats, up from 49 seats in 2014. Party chief Jimmie Akesson told members: “We will gain huge influence over what happens in Sweden during the coming weeks, months and years.”

Jimmie Akesson, leader of the Sweden Democrats

For his part, Lofven expressed disappointment: “I’m of course disappointed that a party (the Sweden Democrats) with roots in Nazism can win so much ground in our time.”

Akesson and his party had made much of its opposition to Sweden’s immigration policy which had seen 163,000 asylum seekers arriving in the country in 2015. While the number of asylum seekers has dropped since, concerns over pressure on the welfare system, a shortage of doctors and teachers and a rise in some kinds of crime have been main election issues.

Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderates which heads the center Alliance

Seeking an alliance

Center-right Alliance leader Ulf Kristersson called on Lofven to resign but pushed back against any idea of an alliance with the far-right.

“We have been completely clear during the whole election,” Kristersson said of his four-party grouping. “The Alliance will not govern or discuss how to form a government with the Sweden Democrats.”

The speaker of parliament is expected to consult party leaders and ask the one most likely to succeed to then form a government.

jm/kl (Reuters, AFP)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW’s editors send out a selection of the day’s hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

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+++ Sweden elections 2018 — live updates +++ | News | DW

Polls in Sweden are set open at 8 a.m. local time (0600 UTC). Voters will be casting their votes in three separate ballots: The general election, regional elections and local elections. As many as 3 million Swedes are estimated to have already cast their ballot last month, when pre-voting opened on August 22. A handful of leading candidates used the opportunity to skip the queues, including incumbent Prime Minister Stefan Lofven of the Social Democrats (SAP).

All eyes will be on how the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) — a party with neo-Nazi roots — can emerge as the largest single party in a country known for its high-quality of life and developed welfare state. Surveys suggest the SD could take around 20 percent of the vote, well above the 13 percent it scored in the previous election in 2014.

Overall, the polls predict political gridlock. The left-wing bloc, made up of the Social Democrats and Left Party, was backed by almost 40 percent of the vote, while the four-party center-right Alliance trailed narrowly behind on 38.5 percent. That means some form of “grand coalition” between the center-left and the Alliance may be necessary to break the deadlock, unless one of the groups agrees to govern with the Sweden Democrats. 

Live updates from the 2018 Swedish elections will be posted here from September 9, 2018 at 0600 UTC. 

Read more: Neo-Nazi background hounds Sweden Democrats

The first early bird voters have already cast their ballots at a polling station in Stockholm

0815: Around 7.5 million people are eligible to vote today and the turnout is traditionally high in Sweden, hitting 85.8 percent in 2014. More than a quarter of voters remain undecided going into today’s vote, according to a Sifo poll. 

0800: Welcome to Deutsche Welle’s live coverage of the Swedish elections. Polls opened at 8 a.m. local time (0600) Sunday and voting will go on until 8 p.m, when the counting begins. The first preliminary results are expected to be released between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. 

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven — Social Democrats (SAP)

This election is unlikely to pan out well for Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. His Social Democrats have dominated Swedish politics since the 1930s and effectively built up the country’s welfare state. Now, however, the SAP is expected to record a low score. Lofven has been attacked by the right for his open-door migrant policy, and from the left for later slamming that door shut.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Ulf Kristersson — Moderate Party

Ulf Kristersson’s Moderates will be battling with the far-right Sweden Democrats for popularity this year and could fall to third place. Kristersson’s stance towards the far-right remains ambiguous: while he has ruled out cooperating with them, he has stopped short of labeling them as racist. On policy, the party has remained true to its name, focusing mainly on law and order, and job creation.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jimmie Akesson — Swedish Democrats (SD)

In 2014, the far-right Sweden Democrats saw a monumental rise in support, taking 13 percent of the vote. This year, the party is tipped to take as much as 20 percent and could finish second ahead of the Moderates. The SD’s popularity is largely due to rising anti-migrant sentiment (Sweden took in over 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015) and Akesson’s efforts cleanse the party of its neo-Nazi roots.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Gustav Fridolin and Isabella Lovin — Green Party

Despite finishing a disappointing fourth in 2014, Sweden’s Greens entered the government in a minority coalition with the SAP. But a series of crises since have seen support erode. Education Minister Gustav Fridolin became the youngest MP in Swedish history back in 2002, when he was elected aged 19. Isabella Lovin, minister for international development, has enjoyed a career in politics and media.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Annie Loof — Center Party

Sweden’s Center Party emerged from the country’s Farmers’ League, and while agriculture and environment remain key polices, Annie Loof has emerged as the party’s hope to attract urban and more progressive voters. Its strategy is paying off, a survey published last year put the Center Party at 11.3 percent — its highest polling in 27 years.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jonas Sjostedt – Left Party

Left Party chief Jonas Sjostedt, a former metal worker and union leader, is a political veteran on the left. After serving in the European Parliament from 1995-2006, Sjostedt returned to Swedish politics and was elected to parliament in 2010 before becoming party leader two years later. The Left Party acts as a force against privatization and supports higher taxes to fund Sweden’s welfare state.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Jan Bjorklund – Liberals

A former army major, Liberal Party leader Jan Bjorklund has adopted a fighting yet disciplined approach to politics. The results have been mixed; its social reforms around education and equality have been received well, but its calls to expand the military and join NATO have mostly fallen on deaf ears. As a result, the Liberals have failed to capitalize on the Moderates falling polling numbers.

Sweden elections 2018: Who’s who?

Ebba Busch Thor — Christian Democrats (KD)

Sweden’s Christian Democrats have struggled to attract wide support, despite attempts to distance itself from religious roots. Meanwhile, the party’s increasingly harsh tone towards migration appears to have alienated more voters with Christian values than it has drawn in new ones. The Christian Democrats are expected to barely scrape past the 4 percent threshold needed to enter parliament.

Author: David Martin

dm/jlw (Reuters, dpa, AP, AFP)

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