Summary
Swedish voters will head to the polls on September 9 in what’s becoming a familiar political drama across the European Union.
The contest will pit two large establishment parties against a populist upstart party. Polls point to a limited upset in the making, with the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) projected to capture a sufficient portion of vote to upend the normal horse-trading of government coalition formation, potentially ushering in months of political gridlock.
The Sweden Democrats have made considerable inroads into the electorate on the back of the party’s anti-immigration and anti-EU messaging.
The result of this week’s poll will resonate far beyond Sweden, with far-right movements across the Continent watching intently to see if anti-EU populism can score a stunning victory in the heart of Europe’s ‘moral superpower.’
