The Sweden Democrats, a far-right, anti-immigration party, has become Sweden’s most popular party, according to the recent YOUGov poll.
Supported by a whopping 25.5 per cent of voters, they have risen above the Social Democrats, who are currently in power, with 23.4 per cent of voter support, and the centre-right Moderates holding the 21 per cent.
“There’s too much immigration and too many beggars from Eastern Europe,” said Tommy Nilsson, party manager for southern Sweden, dubbing the poll a “tremendous breakthrough” for the group.
“People are starting to realise that this is a serious problem for Sweden.”
The party, which stemmed from the Keep Sweden Swedish and the Swedish Progress parties in the late 1980s, had dwindled with little support. Since the 2010 election, however, they broke the four per cent threshold to gain seats in the Swedish parliament, garnering increasing support, with a 12.9 per cent in last September’s general election.
Sören Holmberg, from Gothenberg University, said the poll result was “not surprising as there has been a long tendency for surges in the right-wing party’s support.”
Its increasing popularity has been largely attributed to Sweden’s asylum policies responsible for the huge migrant influx.
Sweden has experienced a surge in migration in recent years and takes in more refugees per capita than any other country.
Only in 2014, Sweden received 8,365 asylum applications per million inhabitants.
Greece’s Golden Dawn congratulated the party, noting that “these results, coming from such a progressive nation like Sweden, should become an example for the Greek people who are also suffering from the thousands of immigrants invading the country”.