Sweden’s nationalist anti-immigration party has made gains in the country’s general election as the establishment parties appear deadlocked, exit polls predict.
The Sweden Democrats (SD) are expected to achieve 19.2% of the vote.
The party, described by Prime Minister Stefan Lofven as “racist”, held 12.9% of the ballot in the previous election.
Neither the governing Social Democrats nor the centre-right bloc of parties are predicted to win a majority.
An exit poll by public broadcaster SVT suggested the centre-right Alliance won 39.6% of the vote, slightly more than the Social Democrats on 39.4%.
Immigration has been a central issue of the campaign.
SD leader Jimmie Akesson has argued that the high number of migrants taken in by Sweden is driving up crime and putting the welfare system at risk.
Mr Lofven has accused the SD of extremism and said that a vote for it was “dangerous”.
The outgoing prime minister heads a minority coalition government made up of his Social Democrats and the Green Party.
Who are the Sweden Democrats?
The SD was linked for years to neo-Nazis and other far-right groups, only entering parliament in 2010.
It has been working to rebrand itself, changing its logo from a flaming torch (similar to the one used by the UK far-right National Front) to a blue-and-yellow daisy, the colours of the Swedish flag.
Image copyright EPA
Traditionally appealing to working-class men, it wants to attract more women and higher-income voters.
Mr Akesson says there is zero tolerance towards racism in the party and several members have been expelled.
However, the party has still been embroiled in various racism scandals.
One municipal candidate shared a song on Facebook with the lyrics “Swedes are white and the country is ours”, according to a report in tabloid Aftonbladet.
What were the key issues?
Sweden’s economy is booming but many voters are concerned that housing, healthcare and welfare services have come under pressure from a wave of immigration during the 2015 migrant crisis.
That year Sweden took in a record 163,000 asylum seekers – the highest such intake in the EU, per head of population.
Sweden’s traditional parties have since hardened their tone to reflect concerns about integration.
Many voters are also concerned about violence. The SD links a rise in shootings to increased immigration, although official figures show no correlation.
The SD also wants to leave the European Union and has proposed a “Swexit” referendum. However, the powerful centrist parties all oppose such a vote, so it is unlikely to go ahead.
Aside from immigration, climate change is an issue many Swedes care about – particularly after a long, hot summer and severe forest fires.
During the heatwave, around 25,000 hectares of forest burned in wildfires. Support for the Green party, which had been struggling after various internal scandals, has crept up across the country.
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