Tumultuous Swedish election draws to a close as rifts widen

Bloomberg

A turbulent Swedish election campaign came to an end with little sign of compromise ahead as the establishment parties pleaded with voters to beat back an ascendant nationalist movement.
The center-right and center-left blocs were in a virtual tie with voting starting on Sunday as the conservative-led opposition gained ground in recent days. But the blocs will be far from securing a majority since the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats look poised to win almost 20 percent.
Party leaders took the last moments of the campaign to warn voters that the political turbulence will be far from over come election day, and that they can expect hard talks in the days or weeks ahead on forming a viable government. All parties have vowed not to seek the support of the Sweden Democrats. The tension has showed no signs of subsiding, with an eruption of vitriol between the smaller pro-immigration Center Party and the nationalists in Friday’s last big debate of the campaign. Center Party leader Annie Loof voiced loud protests as Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson said that immigrants find it hard to get jobs because they’re not Swedish and “don’t belong.” Asked again about the controversy, Loof said that Akesson showed “his true face yesterday.”
But Loof also said that Prime Minister Stefan Lofven should step down immediately if it becomes clear his Social Democrats have lost power, in order not to slow down the process of forming a new government. “If he steps down tonight that process could start tomorrow morning,” she told newspaper Expressen. “If he doesn’t resign, we will vote him down in a couple of weeks.”
Record immigration over the past years and lingering economic hardship from the financial crisis have stoked populist and nationalist sentiment even in rich and egalitarian Sweden. The threat to the political establishment comes on the heels of a wave of election surprises around the world, such as the UK Brexit vote, and the rise of populist and authoritarian leaders in countries such as Italy and Hungary and even the US.
Ulf Kristersson, head of the conservative Moderate Party and front-runner to become the next prime minister, said integrating refugees is key for Sweden to maintain its extensive welfare state.