2010 Swedish general election: Difference between revisions

| election_name = 2010 Swedish general election, 2010<ref name="electionresults"/>

| country = Sweden

| type = parliamentary

| ongoing = no

| previous_election = 2006 Swedish general election

| previous_year = 2006

| next_election = 2014 Swedish general election

| next_year = 2014

| seats_for_election = All 349 seats to the [[Riksdag]] <br /> 175 seats are needed for a majority

| election_date = 19 September 2010

| leader1 = [[Mona Sahlin]]

|swing3 seat_change3 = {{increase}}2.1%6

|seat_change8 swing7 = {{decrease}}50.3%

| map_size seats8 = 400px19

<!--PM before/after-->| title = [[Prime Minister of Sweden|Prime Minister]]

{{seeSee also|sv: Opinionsmätningar inför riksdagsvalet i Sverige 2010}}

The [[Sweden Democrats]] were expected{{by whom|date=March 2012}} to enter the Parliament for the first time, as the party's polling results had exceeded the 4% entry threshold since June 2009. The [[Green Party (Sweden)|Green Party]] had also made a significant transformation from the smallest elected party to the third largest party during the term, overtaking the [[Left Party (Sweden)|Left Party]], the [[Christian Democrats (Sweden)|Christian Democrats]], the [[Liberal People's Party (Sweden)|Liberals]] and even the [[Centre Party (Sweden)|Centre Party]] in most polls following the 2006 election.

The Sweden Democrats generated controversy before the election.<ref name=aljazeera /> Both the Alliance and the Red-Greens pledged not to seek support from the SD,<ref name="aljaz"/> with Reinfeldt ruling out forming a government in cooperation with the [[Sweden Democrats]].<ref name="the local">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thelocal.se/29156/20100921/ |title=Economy trumps welfare worries in tight Swedish election - The Local |publisher=Thelocal.se |date=22 September 2010 |accessdateaccess-date=26 September 2010}}</ref>

A [[TV4 Group|privately owned television network]], [[TV4 (Sweden)|TV4]], refused to air a SD campaign video, which was then uploaded to [[YouTube]] and viewed more than one million times. The SD video portrayed a track-meet, in which the race is for pension funds. In the video, a Swedish pensioner is outrun by [[burqa|burka]]-clad women with [[Baby transport|prams]].<ref name=aljazeera>{{Cite news|title=Far-right tests Swedish tolerance |first=Cajsa |last=Wikstrom |newspaper=[[Al Jazeera English]] |date=19 September 2010 |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2010/09/201091691137186652.html |accessdateaccess-date=20 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=SDReklam2010|title=Sverigedemokraternas valfilm 2010|date=2010-08-26|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XkRRdth8AHc |accessdatearchive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211218/XkRRdth8AHc |archive-date=2021-12-18 |url-status=live|access-date=2017-10-22}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Several politicians in Denmark, initially from the [[Danish People's Party]] and later from the governing [[Venstre (Denmark)|Venstre]] and the [[Conservative People's Party (Denmark)|Conservative People's Party]], reacted to TV4's refusal to air the video by calling for international election observers to be sent to Sweden.<ref name=aft>{{cite news|url=http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/uriks/article3795398.ece|work=[[Aftenposten]]|title=Skandinavisk "krig" før valget|first=Jon Robin|last=Halle|date=3 September 2010|accessdateaccess-date=1 November 2010|language=Norwegianno|url-status=dead|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100906144500/http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/uriks/article3795398.ece|archivedatearchive-date=6 September 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,715107,00.html Danish Politicians Call for Election Observers in Sweden] ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' 1 September 2010</ref> [[Pia Kjærsgaard]], leader of the Danish People's Party, claimed that the election reminded her of "[[Eastern Europe]]", and that Sweden was the "[[banana republic]]" of the [[Nordic countries]].<ref name=aft/> [[Per-Willy Amundsen]] of the Norwegian [[Progress Party (Norway)|Progress Party]] also criticised the decision as a "violation of democratic rules."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/norsk-politikk/artikkel.php?artid=10026922|work=[[Verdens Gang]] (NTB)|title=Frp: - Svensk brudd på demokratiske spilleregler|date=31 August 2010|accessdateaccess-date=1 November 2010|language=Norwegianno}}</ref>

On 13 September in [[Gothenburg]], about 500 counter-demonstrators prevented the Sweden Democrats from making a planned election rally.<ref name=svt100913b>{{cite journal|title=Demonstrators stopped the SD meeting |journal=Profile |date=13 September 2010 |url=http://svt.se/2.22620/1.2144519/demonstranter_stoppade_sd-mote |accessdateaccess-date=16 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916044214/http://svt.se/2.22620/1.2144519/demonstranter_stoppade_sd-mote |archivedatearchive-date=16 September 2010 }}</ref> Police used pepper spray to disperse the counter-demonstration, which lacked a permit, and seven counter-demonstrators were detained.<ref name=svt100913b /> On 14 September, the Sweden Democrats cancelled planned rallies in three cities, [[Eskilstuna]], [[Karlstad, Sweden|Karlstad]], and [[Uddevalla]], because of security concerns. Similarly, concerns about security led to an election tour being cancelled on 15 September in [[Norrköping]].<ref name=svd100915>{{Cite news|title=SD kan inte hålla möten |first=Tobias |last=Brandel |newspaper=[[Svenska Dagbladet]] |date=15 September 2010 |url=http://www.svd.se/nyheter/politik/valet2010/sd-kan-inte-halla-moten_5333085.svd |accessdateaccess-date=16 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| title = threatened SD meeting was canceled | first = Henry | last=Engstrom | newspaper = Folkbladet | date=15 September 2010 | url = http://www.folkbladet.se/news/artikel.aspx?articleid=5353123 | archive-url = https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171020121304/http://www.folkbladet.se/news/?articleid=5353123 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 20 October 2017 | accessdateaccess-date=16 September 2010 }}</ref>

After these cancelled election rallies, the [[National Police Commissioner (Sweden)|National Police Commissioner]] Bengt Svenson severely criticized the county police for failing to safeguard the Sweden Democrats: "If it is not possible to protect them [in those locales], the police have failed in its planning and execution of its mission. [ . . . ] It is a serious problem when such meetings cannot be held, because it is our absolute duty to ensure that the constitutionally guaranteed rights be maintained and that all meetings can be held".<ref name=svt100916>{{cite journal|title=National Police Commissioner criticizes police Värmland |journal=Sveriges Television |date=16 September 2010 |url=http://svt.se/2.33874/1.2149654/rikspolischefen_kritiserar_varmlandspolisen |accessdateaccess-date=16 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918094423/http://svt.se/2.33874/1.2149654/rikspolischefen_kritiserar_varmlandspolisen |archivedatearchive-date=18 September 2010 }}</ref>

These attempts to limit the SD message were described by [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] as counterproductive, in that they enabled the SD to portray itself as a victim of censorship.<ref name=aljazeera />

As exit polls conducted by the national broadcaster [[Swedish Television]] predicted, the Sweden Democrats reached the 4% threshold needed to enter parliament, making this election the first in which they were able to enter parliament.<ref name="aljaz">{{Cite news|title=Swedish ruling bloc retains power |first=Cajsa |last=Wikstrom |newspaper=[[Al Jazeera English]] |date=20 September 2010 |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/09/2010919174619859579.html |accessdateaccess-date=20 September 2010}}</ref>

A preliminary count of 5,668 voting districts showed the Alliance with 172 seats, ahead of the Red-Greens.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.val.se/val/val2010/valnatt/R/rike/index.html |title=Val till riksdagen - Valnatt |publisher=val.se |language=Swedishsv |date=20 September 2010 |accessdateaccess-date=21 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916042944/http://www.val.se/val/val2010/valnatt/R/rike/index.html |archive-date=16 September 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, this fell short of the 175 seats needed for an [[absolute majority]], and it appeared the Sweden Democrats would hold the balance of power in the new parliament.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Sweden narrowly re-elects centre-right alliance |first=Damien |last=McGuinness |work=[[BBC Online]] |date=20 September 2010 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11367614 |accessdateaccess-date=20 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Swedish centre-right wins ballot but loses majority |first=Patrick |last=Lannin |workagency=[[Reuters]] |date=20 September 2010 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68I0II20100920 |accessdateaccess-date=20 September 2010}}</ref> Reinfeldt declared that he had no intention to cooperate with the Sweden Democrats.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Alliansen segrar – SD blir vågmästare |first=Jenny |last=Stiernstedt |newspaper=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |date=20 September 2010 |url=http://www.dn.se/nyheter/valet2010/alliansen-rodgrona-sd-akesson-sahlin-reinfeldt-1.1173532 |language=Swedishsv |accessdateaccess-date=20 September 2010}}</ref>

On 23 September, the final results showed the Centre Party gaining an adjustment seat in [[Dalarna County|Dalarna]], giving the Alliance a total seat count of 173, still two seats short of an absolute majority.<ref name="electionresults">{{cite web |url=http://www.val.se/val/val2010/slutresultat/R/rike/index.html |title=Val till riksdagen - Röster |publisher=[[Election Authority (Sweden)|Swedish Election Authority]] |date=23 September 2010 |accessdateaccess-date=14 November 2010 |language=Swedishsv}}</ref> The Alliance's Liberal People's Party were only 7 and 19 votes short from gaining additional seats in [[Gothenburg Municipality|Gothenburg]] and [[Värmland County|Värmland]] respectively,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dn.se/nyheter/valet2010/alliansens-majoritetsdrom-upp-i-rok-1.1175060|title=Alliansens majoritetsdröm upp i rök|date=23 September 2010 |publisher=DN.se|language=Swedishsv|accessdateaccess-date=22 September 2010}}</ref> but according to Svante Linusson, a professor in mathematics, the actual margin was still over 800 votes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.svd.se/nyheter/politik/valet2010/rosterna-ar-fardigraknade_5386783.svd|title=Rösterna är färdigräknade|date=23 September 2010 |publisher=SvD.se|language=Swedishsv|accessdateaccess-date=23 September 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/valet2010/article7827648.ab Superrysare], Aftonbladet</ref>

Liberal evening tabloid ''[[Expressen]]'' wrote in an editorial "The banner of tolerance has been hauled down and the forces of darkness have finally also taken the Swedish democracy as hostage. It's a day of sorrow." Liberal conservative morning newspaper ''[[Svenska Dagbladet]]'' said "[It is] time for the Swedes to get themselves a new national self-image [as the election] created a new picture of Sweden".<ref name="bloomberg">{{Cite web|last=Magnusson |first=Niklas |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-21/swedes-throng-streets-to-protest-against-anti-immigrant-party-in-goverment.html |title=Swedes Protest on Streets as Anti-Immigrants Enter Parliament |publisher=Bloomberg |date=21 September 2010 |accessdateaccess-date=26 September 2010}}</ref>

<blockquote>''"While it’sit's hard to say that Sweden has woken up to a new self-image, one can say that this is more like a normal European situation and is similar to other western European countries with a proportional election system, where a populist right-wing party has seats in parliament. It’sIt's the party that is the least liked among other voters, so it is not surprising that people have reacted with dismay"''. Carl Dahlstroem, professor of politics at [[Gothenburg University]].<ref name="bloomberg" /></blockquote>

The election was a landmark for its impact on the Social Democrats, which had been in government for 65 of the last 78 years and who had never lost two consecutive elections. This was their worst result since [[universal suffrage]] in 1921. Swedish [[political science|political scientist]] Stig-Björn Ljunggren said "The Social Democrats no longer symbolise the Swedish model. They've lost their magic." The ''[[Dagens Nyheter]]'' postulated that electoral failure was based on internal factors, such that the Social Democrats failed to win over the middle class and had completely lost touch with their original vision, which had made them a dominant political party.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.swedishwire.com/component/content/article/2:politics/6316:swedish-model-party-in-crisis |title='Swedish model' party in crisis |publisher=Swedishwire.com |accessdateaccess-date=26 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924022621/http://www.swedishwire.com/component/content/article/2:politics/6316:swedish-model-party-in-crisis |archive-date=24 September 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

''[[The Irish Times]]'' saw the rise of the SD as sending "ripples of shock not only through the country but through European politics," and asked "Is this finally it for the 'Swedish model'" that has been represented as a "meld of liberal values, high taxes, outstanding childcare and welfare that made the country the poster boy for European social democracy?" The Social Democrats' failure reflected the party's inability to adapt, an increasingly technocratic profile, a failure to address immigration concerns, as well as Reinfeldt's success in managing the economy. The results draws parallels with a larger decline of European left parties.<ref name="irishtimes">{{Cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0922/1224279430777.html |title=Sweden's right - The Irish Times - Wed, Sep 22, 2010 |publisherwork=The Irish Times |date=22 September 2010 |accessdateaccess-date=26 September 2010}}</ref> An article in ''[[Al Jazeera English]]'' asked if [[Western world|Western]] political dynamics were changing following the Swedish and [[2010 United States elections|United States]] elections. The article said that predictions after the election indicated "an entirely new political landscape" and "the beginning of an era of sharper political division in Sweden." It asked if the similar results "reflect rather an underlying continuity in the generation-long evolution of Euro-American politics towards a fully neoliberalised system" and that Sweden seemed to be "moving towards an outdated model." It also said that, while social policies were similarly moving to the right, economic policies were poles apart, with the emergence of far-right parties in Sweden and Denmark still supporting the [[welfare]] state and the American parties remaining on the economic right-wing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2010/11/20101115144931444264.html|title=Nowhere left to run|first=Mark|last=LeVine|date=|website=english.aljazeera.net|accessdateaccess-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>

The case of Annika Holmqvist, a seriously ill 55-year-old woman who had her sickness benefits withdrawn and was requested to seek work, allegedly due to the Alliance's reforms of Sweden's social security system, gave the opposition a late boost in its campaign. ''[[The Local]]'' thinks it might have deprived the Alliance of an overall majority. Holmqvist's daughter wrote about her case in a [[web log]] post that gained publicity and became a hot topic in the debates. In spite of promises of a solution, after the election it was decided Holmqvist will lose her ''illness''{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}} benefits.<ref>[http://www.thelocal.se/29108/20100919/ Reinfeldt rocked by 'chlamydia letter'], The Local, 19 September 2010</ref><ref>[http://www.thelocal.se/29150/20100921/ 'Chlamydia letter' blogger deprived of benefits], The Local, 21 September 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americablog.com/2010/09/how-blog-post-is-changing-swedish.html|title=How a young woman's blog post is changing the Swedish elections |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919195249/http://www.americablog.com/2010/09/how-blog-post-is-changing-swedish.html |archive-date=19 September 2010 |author=[[John Aravosis]] |dateauthor-link=John Aravosis |website=americablog.com|accessdateaccess-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>

The Alliance formed the new government with Reinfeldt continuing as prime minister. His cabinet has 24 [[Minister (government)|ministers]], three more than the previous one. The Moderates received 13 posts, an increase of three from their previous count, with the [[Liberal People's Party (Sweden)|Liberals]] (4), [[Centre Party (Sweden)|Centre]] (4) and [[Christian Democrats (Sweden)|Christian Democrats]] (3) not gaining or losing ministers. [[Jan Björklund]], the leader of the Liberal Party, was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister replacing [[Maud Olofsson]]. [[Carl Bildt]] remained Foreign Minister and [[Anders Borg]] remained Minister for Finance. The new ministers are [[Stefan Attefall]], the Minister for Public Administration and Housing at the [[Ministry of Health and Social Affairs (Sweden)|Ministry of Health and Social Affairs]]; [[Ulf Kristersson]], replacing [[Cristina Husmark Pehrsson]] as [[Minister for Social Security (Sweden)|Minister for Social Security]]; [[Erik Ullenhag]], the Minister for Integration at the [[Ministry of Employment (Sweden)|Ministry of Employment]]; [[Hillevi Engström]], the [[Minister for Employment (Sweden)|Minister for Employment]]; [[Anna-Karin Hatt]], the Minister for Information Technology and Regional Affairs at the [[Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications (Sweden)|Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications]]; [[Peter Norman (politician)|Peter Norman]], replacing [[Mats Odell]] as [[Minister for Financial Markets (Sweden)|Minister for Financial Markets]]; and [[Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd]], replacing [[Åsa Torstensson]] as [[Minister for Communications (Sweden)|Minister for Communications]]. [[Tobias Krantz]], former Minister of Higher Education at the [[Ministry of Education and Research (Sweden)|Ministry of Education and Research]], is leaving with no successor having been named.<ref name="DN new cabinet">{{cite web|url=http://www.dn.se/nyheter/valet2010/reinfeldts-nya-regering-1.1183404|title=Reinfeldts nya regering|date=5 October 2010|publisher=DN.se|language=Swedishsv|accessdateaccess-date=5 October 2010|archive-date=7 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007054138/http://www.dn.se/nyheter/valet2010/reinfeldts-nya-regering-1.1183404|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Reinfeldt issued a 30-page statement of the new government's policies, saying it would "seek a broad-based and responsible solutions (''sic'')", and that it would "be natural...to hold regular discussions with the Green Party, in the first instance and also the Social Democratic Party where appropriate."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.cri.cn/6966/2010/10/06/1881s597843.htm|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171020112444/http://english.cri.cn/6966/2010/10/06/1881s597843.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 October 2017|title=Swedish PM Announces his New Cabinet, Policies|author=|date=|website=english.cri.cn|accessdateaccess-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100817194746/http://www.val.se/valet_2010/ Val 2010] from the [http://www.val.se/ main website], [https://web.archive.org/web/20100809074829/http://www.val.se/in_english/index.html englishEnglish version]

* [http://www.nsd.uib.no/european_election_database/country/sweden/ NSD: European Election Database - Sweden] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811053052/http://www.nsd.uib.no/european_election_database/country/sweden/ |date=11 August 2010 }} publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1992–2010