Voters in Sweden went to the polls Sunday for a parliamentary election that could change the Scandinavian country’s reputation for being a liberal stronghold.

The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, who want the country to leave the European Union and put a freeze on immigration, are hoping to become the country’s largest party.

Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson told voters Saturday there needs to be “tight, responsible” immigration policies to help create “breathing space” in Sweden.

At a rally Saturday, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven warned, “The haters are mobilizing in Sweden and are egging on people against people. … We will resist. We will stand up for equality.”

Sweden, like most of Europe, has been hit by an influx of asylum-seekers, who are fleeing mainly from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.  

The influx of 163,000 asylum-seekers in Sweden in 2015 has polarized voters and fractured a cozy political consensus.  

Pollsters say the growing popularity of the Sweden Democrats, a party with roots in the neo-Nazi fringe, could result in  the far-right group winning veto power over which parties form the next government.

Magnus Blomgren a social scientist at Umea University, says, “Traditional parties have failed to respond to the sense of discontent that exists.”
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