Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
As a five-year-old boy and his mother were shot and wounded in the Swedish City of Eskilstuna, it cast further light on what was already the hot topic in the electoral campaign in front of the 2022 parliamentary election; the increasing violent crime in Sweden. The Scandinavian country has seen a surge in gang-related violence and lethal shootings in recent years. In a recent report, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention found that Sweden was one of the countries in Europe where the rate of fatal shootings had increased the most since 2000. Next to violent crime, the rising inflation and cost of living was the central topic during the election. Consumer prices have been increasing sharply throughout the world following the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, especially driven by an increase in electricity prices.
In the election, which was held in September 2022, the center-right block won a majority of seats in parliament and formed a government led by the Moderate Party under Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. The Christian Democrats and the Liberal Party make up the rest of the government, meaning that it is a minority government that needs support from the controversial right-wing part Sweden Democrats in parliament.
In the election, which was held in September 2022, the center-right block won a majority of seats in parliament and formed a government led by the Moderate Party under Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. The Christian Democrats and the Liberal Party make up the rest of the government, meaning that it is a minority government that needs support from the controversial right-wing part Sweden Democrats in parliament.
Sweden Democrats: From political isolation to largest center-right party
The Sweden Democrats became the largest of the parties on the center-right of the spectrum, winning more than 20 percent of the votes. The right-wing party was originally formed by neo-fascists in the late 1980s, but has since gotten rid of its most extreme elements. Still, it continues to have an anti-immigrant and euro-sceptic profile, and the other parties in the Swedish Parliament refused to co-operate with them until 2018, when the center-right parties opened the door for the Sweden Democrats. The party has built its popularity through its charismatic leader Jimmie Åkesson, and by focusing on the problems with gang-related violence and shootings in some areas of Sweden, areas that tend to have a high share of immigrant residents. Before the election, 80 percent of Sweden's population was concerned about the development of violence in the country.Social Democratic Party - winners and losers
The Social Democratic Party had led the government since 2014, but despite becoming the largest party both in terms of share of votes and seats in parliament, they were forced to hand over power to the center-right block as their co-operation partners in parliament, the Riksdag, did not receive enough seats to build a majority. Instead, the conservative Moderate Party was given the task to form a government, despite a small decrease of support compared to the previous election. In other words, there is a strong opposition in the Swedish Parliament, and the government has a weak mandate as the parties first need to agree between themselves and then with the Sweden Democrats.High voter turnout
Swedish Parliament elections are held every four years on the second Sunday in September. Within the multi-party system, the voters elect the 349 members of the Riksdag through a proportional representation electoral system, meaning that the parties who receive a higher share of votes than the electoral threshold of four percent will receive roughly the same share of seats in parliament as share of votes. The members in turn elect the Prime Minister of Sweden. Traditionally, Sweden has seen an exceptionally high voter turnout at parliamentary elections. Since 1970, at least 80 percent of the eligible voters voted in parliamentary elections, which is one of the highest turnouts worldwide. In the 2022 election, the voter turnout was 84.2 percent. By comparison, the turnout at the most recent parliamentary elections in the Nordic neighbors Norway and Finland were 77.2 and 68.7 percent, respectively. There is no single factor behind Sweden's high electoral turnout, but a combination of high trust in the political system and automatic voter registration are often highlighted as two major factors.
