{
  "id": 8819145,
  "title": "Why the far right lost: 11 lessons for Europe from Sweden’s election",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/why-the-far-right-lost-11-lessons-for-europe-from-swedens-election",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T02:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/why-the-far-right-failed-11-lessons-for-europe-from-swedens-election/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As far-right leader Jimmie Åkesson hoped his Sweden Democrats would gain power in the September 2026 election, his party's vote share fell from 20.5% in 2022 to 17.5% after supporting the center-right coalition for four years. Åkesson's party ended up losing vote share, support, and influence for the first time since its founding by neo-Nazis in the 1980s. The left bloc narrowly won the contest, and will seek to form a government without any right-wing parties. Experts and key players offer 11 lessons from the campaign:\n\n1. The Sweden Democrats allied with the center and lost.\n2. The Sweden Democrats' vote share fell from 20.5% in 2022 to 17.5% this year.\n3. The Sweden Democrats' support increased, but they lost the election.\n4. Kristersson's Moderates party increased its support and became the second-largest force in the parliament.\n5. Åkesson blamed the Social Democrats and their allies for mobilizing Islamist voters who previously supported other parties.\n6. Social Democrat leader Andersson warned voters against supporting the far-right.\n7. Mainstream European parties have for decades pursued a \"firewall\" policy against the far right.\n8. Sweden's firewall has developed many holes over the past four years.\n9. The Sweden Democrats entered parliament in 2010, but mainstream center and left-wing parties refused to cooperate with them.\n10. The Sweden Democrats' hardline stance on law and order and immigration contributed to their support.\n11. Firewalls don't work forever.",
  "summary": "POLITICO spoke to party leaders Magdalena Andersson and Ulf Kristersson — and leading analysts — to understand the far-right Sweden Democrats' fall in support, and what it means.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}