Sweden’s election could mark major milestone for Europe’s populist right

September 11, 2026 / 10:55 AM EDT / CBS News

Sweden heads to the polls on Sunday in an election that could mark a watershed moment for the northern European nation and NATO's newest member. Across Europe, right-wing populist parties have gained ground in recent years amid growing voter backlash over immigration, and Sweden has been no exception.

The election pits Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's center-right coalition against a center-left bloc led by former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson's Social Democrats. But hanging over the race is the prospect of Sweden's right-wing populist Sweden Democrats entering government for the first time.

The party, which traces its roots to Sweden's extreme-right fringe, has spent the past two decades moving steadily toward the center of political power. It first entered parliament in 2010. By 2022, it became the country's second-largest party and agreed to support Kristersson's minority government from outside the cabinet. The arrangement gave the party substantial influence over immigration, crime and other policies without formal responsibility for government departments. But now Kristersson wants to govern as a majority government and has gone one step further, saying the Sweden Democrats would receive ministerial posts if the right wins another term.

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