Sweden Democrats face test in their weakest region

Sweden Democrats face a challenge ahead of Sweden’s 2026 parliamentary election: expanding in the part of the country where they have previously performed worst, SVT election reporter Fouad Youcefi reports.

The party received 20.6 per cent of the vote in the 2022 election, becoming Sweden’s second-largest party. But in SVT’s latest opinion poll, the party stands at 18.5 per cent, just over one percentage point ahead of the Moderate Party.

After more than a decade of consistent growth, the Sweden Democrats could lose voters for the first time in a parliamentary election.

Signs of a ceiling in Skåne

In the 2024 European Parliament election, the Sweden Democrats lost support for the first time in an election. In the party’s stronghold of Skåne, they finished as the fourth-largest party.

The Sweden Democrats have increased their support in Skåne in each of the past three parliamentary elections, although the increase was smaller in the most recent election. The figures suggest the party may be approaching a ceiling in the region.

The party is now discussing another key region internally as it seeks to increase its support ahead of the parliamentary election on September 13.