The populist anti-immigration party has surged to become Sweden's second-largest political force after a national election dominated by fears of gang violence. Here is how its leader rose to power.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Sweden Democrats party has surged to become Sweden's second-largest political force after a national election dominated by fears of gang violence, and the anti-immigrant party has already reached out to its right-wing partners about forming the country's next government.
It is a far cry from when its leader, Jimmie Åkesson, took the reins in 2005 when it was a group on the fringes of Swedish politics, regarded as too radical by much of the population, with dubious ties to far-right and neo-Nazi organisations.
In the 2006 elections, it garnered less than 3% of the total vote. But in 2022, they won over 20%.
How did Jimmie Åkesson pull this off? We take a look in The Cube.