During the campaign, political parties on the right and left proved that our supposed liberalism is only skin deep
“Helg … seger!” shouts Rebecka Fallenkvist, raising one arm in a seeming salute to the camera. It is Sunday evening, and the 26-year-old politician from the far-right Sweden Democrats is being interviewed, champagne glass in hand. Her party had just become the second-largest in parliament, gaining more than 20% of the votes.
The Social Democratic prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, has now resigned, conceding defeat to the rightwing bloc. Although its partnering parties have said they wish to keep the cabinet seats to themselves, a far-right party will have considerable influence over government for the first time ever in Swedish history. And these are hardly your “ordinary” anti-immigrant populists. The Sweden Democrats has its roots in the neo-Nazi movement from only 30 years ago. In more recent times, they have proven unable to choose between Putin or Biden.
Gina Gustavsson is senior lecturer at the department of government at Uppsala University, Sweden
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