The election has seen Lofven’s Social Democratic Party lose its majority in parliament, after conceding considerable ground to the nationalistic Sweden Democrats. Enter the Sweden Democrats, who want the country to take refugees solely from neighbouring Denmark, Finland and Norway (which aren’t exactly overflowing with asylum seekers). Lofven’s Social Democratic Party took 28.3 per cent of the vote, with the the centre-right opposition bloc, led by the Moderate Party, claiming 19.8 per cent. The confidence vote arose simply because the two major blocs in parliament would not do a deal with the insurgent Sweden Democrats. Lofven then lost that vote — which the Sweden Democrats, of course, took part in — by 204 to 142, with three members abstaining.

Source: National Post September 25, 2018 15:51 UTC