Sweden’s Election Faces a Test of Right-Wing Unity and NATO Legacy

Around 8 million eligible voters will choose among parties for the 349-seat Riksdag. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (Moderate Party) seeks a second term, relying on outside support from the Sweden Democrats to secure a majority. His main challenger is former prime minister Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats, who led the government from 2021 to 2022. If the right-wing bloc retains power, the Sweden Democrats can expect cabinet seats even if they are not the largest party.

The Independent

The Sweden Democrats surged to 20.5 % of the vote in 2022, becoming the biggest party on the right. Founded in the 1980s by activists with extremist ties, the party has moderated its rhetoric under Jimmie Åkesson (leader since 2005). Sweden abandoned its long-standing neutrality by joining NATO in 2024 as the alliance’s 32nd member—a move initiated by Andersson’s government after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and completed under Kristersson.

The Independent

Gustav Gellerbrant, head of the Sweden Democrats’ coordination office, said his partner’s social-media posts—accused of spreading Russian state narratives—were “taken out of context” and intended as irony, adding he had taken parental leave to keep the campaign focus elsewhere. Sweden’s Psychological Defense Agency noted that the war in Ukraine is the primary security concern, reducing Moscow’s incentive to interfere.

The Independent

• “There’s some, I won’t say fear, but trepidation, apprehension about the possibility of Sweden Democrat ministers,” — Nicholas Aylott, associate professor of political science at Södertörn University

The Independent

• “The biggest threat to Sweden’s security is from the war in Ukraine and there is almost complete consensus in Sweden about support for Ukraine and deep antipathy towards Russia,” — Nicholas Aylott, associate professor of political science at Södertörn University

The Independent