THE TELEGRAPH UK 14 SEPTEMBER 2014 - SWEDEN'S SOCIAL DEMOCRATS SET TO RECLAIM POWER AS FAR RIGHT MAKE HISTORIC GAINS

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. “That’s why we have to work hard right until the end of the campaign and not take anything for granted.” On the eve of the election, Loefven admitted the Sweden Democrats could still throw a spanner in the works, telling Swedish news agency TT on Saturday that they could end up as “kingmakers” in the new parliament. Votes going to the Sweden Democrats were up from 5.7 per cent in the legislative election in 2010. Sweden has been governed by a four-party conservative-liberal coalition headed by Fredrik Reinfeldt since 2006. He has been widely credited with steering the country through the global financial crisis, consolidating Sweden’s position as arguably the healthiest economy in Europe. Even so, the incumbent coalition was predicted to garner only 39.3 per cent of the vote, well below the Social Democrat camp. Analysts say Swedes are tired of the austerity measures the government has been pushing through and are yearning to see fresh faces at the top. “Everyone knows that the centre-right government has been quite behind the opposition, but we have narrowed the gap,” Mr Reinfeldt told reporters after voting in an affluent suburb of the capital Sunday. “We ran a tremendous campaign, I would say. And we have shown that we are ready for four more years.” 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.” LINK: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/11095675/Swedens-Social-Democrats-set-to-reclaim-power-as-far-right-make-historic-gains.html