By MALIN RISING, Associated Press Writer Malin Rising, Associated Press Writer – 52 mins ago
STOCKHOLM – Swedes voted for a new parliament on Sunday with polls showing the center-right government heading for a historic second term unless an Islam-bashing far-right group spoils its majority.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's center-right coalition has been boosted by popular tax cuts and healthy public finances that stand out in debt-ridden Europe, and polls suggest a clear victory over the Social Democrat-led opposition.
That would mark a shift in Swedish politics — no center-right government has ever been re-elected after serving a full term in a country dominated since the 1930s by the left-wing Social Democrats.
Reinfeldt's parliamentary majority, however, is under threat from the Sweden Democrats, a small anti-immigration party hoping to play kingmaker in the 349-seat legislature. The Sweden Democrats, who demand sharp cuts in immigration and have called Islam Sweden's biggest foreign threat since World War II, are seeking their first seats in parliament.
The last polls before the election suggested Reinfeldt's majority could remain by a single seat. But growing support for the far-right could lead to a hung Parliament, because both blocs have ruled out governing with the Sweden Democrats.
"We have appealed to the Swedish people to be farsighted and responsible and vote clearly for the possibility to continue with a majority government," Reinfeldt told reporters Sunday.
Large waves of immigration from the Balkans, Iraq and Iran have changed the demography of the once-homogenous Scandinavian country, where one in seven residents is foreign-born. The Sweden Democrats say immigration has become an economic burden that drains the welfare system.
Surveys, however, show Swedish voters are more concerned about unemployment — at 8.5 percent in July — the economy and the environment than immigration.
Reinfeldt's coalition ousted the Social Democrats in 2006 and kept its promises to lower taxes and trim welfare benefits. Sweden's export-driven economy is expected to grow by more than 4 percent this year while its 2010 budget gap is on track to be the smallest in the 27-nation European Union.
After dominating Swedish politics for decades, the Social Democrats plunged to a record-low 35 percent in the previous election and were forced to join forces with the smaller Green and Left parties to have any chance of regaining power.
The Electoral Authority said a record 2.2 million Swedes cast advance ballots before Sunday's vote, suggesting a high turnout. There are 7.1 million eligible voters.
Social Democratic leader Mona Sahlin, who is seeking to become Sweden's first female prime minister, says the government is dismantling the welfare system and widening the gaps between rich and poor.
"Are we supposed to feel that politics is about getting one or two or five more hundred-kronor bills in our wallets at the expense of someone who doesn't get decent social insurance?" she asked at a campaign rally in Stockholm.
Louise Maniette, a 35-year-old college lecturer, said she is concerned that the center-right government will wreck the welfare system.
"Little by little, society becomes more and more unjust," said Maniette.
Lisa Slusne, 52, voted for Reinfeldt's Moderate Party.
"It's quite crystal clear that there is only one person in this country who is credible as prime minister," she said. "And that's Fredrik Reinfeldt."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100919/ap_ ... n_election
