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Poll: Social Democrats Sweden's largest party

Published: 27 May 11 08:49 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/34024/20110527/

The Social Democrats have reclaimed the title of Sweden's largest political party for the first time since the 2010 elections, a new poll shows.

The Social Democrats now have support of 33.0 percent of voters, according to the results of a poll carried out by the Synovate polling company and published on Thursday in the Dagens Nyhter (DN) newspaper.

The new figures put the Social Democrats, who suffered their worst electoral result in decades in Sweden's September 2010 parliamentary elections, back ahead of the Moderate Party, which registered support of 32.7 percent.

Since Håkan Juholt took over as head of party last month, support for the Social Democrats has climbed by 4 percent.

According to Synovate analyst Nicklas Källebring, however, it's still too early to attribute the poll results to some sort of "Juholt effect".

"It likely has more to do with the fact that a leaderless party now has a leader, which has allowed it to regain some of the voters it lost," he told DN.

But the Social Democrats' lead is small, just 0.3 percentage points. And the four parties of the governing centre-right Alliance coalition still have an overall advantage of 2.5 percent over the three main opposition parties.

In addition, all of the changes are within the statistical margin of error.

However, one result from the new poll which is statistically significant is a drop in support for the far-right Sweden Democrats from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent.

"As soon as people start writing about them again, their support will increase. I see this as more of a temporary dip than a trend," said Källebring.

According to the poll results, support for the Moderates has dropped 4 percent since February.

Support for the Centre Party measures 4.7 percent, while support for the Christian Democrats came in at 3.8 percent, just below the 4 percent threshold for representation in the Riksdag.

The Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) saw its support increase by about one percentage point to 7.2 percent.

Support for the Left Party amounted to 4.1 percent, marking its worst poll results since 1994. Support for the Green Party, meanwhile, remained stable at 8.9 percent.

TT/The Local/dl (news@thelocal.se)

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10:25 May 27, 2011 by Great Scott
Looks like the Swedish public have got wise to the lies, failed promises and increased unemployment from an incompetent government. A country with 1 in 3 of it's under 25's unemployed is a very embarrassing issue. People have not seen any changes for the good, instead they have only seen negative policies. The so called tax reductions have only benifited the well off, others have seen the tax reductions replaced with stealth taxes. The government has made drastic cuts in health and social services and people now want to know where this money has gone. They have also done nothing in the regards of immigration which is a major public concern. A government which is all talk no action.
11:23 May 27, 2011 by Brtahan
Well said @Great scott . As for the immigration the rules are already tight , they should look more into employment of youth and increase of jobs in public sectors where its needed like hospitals and schools etc not cutting down staff and closing down schools and increase patients fees and making payment to hospitals impossible with card or cash just with faktura so that the private sectors the bank benefits from old people who cannt pay online so they pay 50 kr for every bill. as you said stealth tax, people are getting fooled that they are paying less tax but instead they are paying more fees ,more expensive items like groceries etc. Look before and look now everything costs more!!!
12:42 May 27, 2011 by miss79
@great scott i like u..thumbs up..
13:07 May 27, 2011 by Deusultima
@Brtahan: There are other reasons for this, as skyrocketing food prices all over the world. I do believe the current government are doing a good job on the economical front, and they can not be blamed for a over-all harsher world-wide economical climate.
13:59 May 27, 2011 by Pmsr
@Deusultima: don't rain on their parade. They are just venting their frustration for not being able to feast on the teats of the huge sow that is the state, like the third of this country that does so. Hence their silly attempts at rationalization and dubious facts in support of the Social Democrats and dissing the current government. Most people, on the other hand, do their calculations, and see they have more money at the end of the month. That is why consumption is up, even with higher prices for commodities and food. But hey, people voting with their wallets are no match for the couch economists commenting here at The Local, are they?
14:06 May 27, 2011 by prince T
Should we be happy or be crying. this man have done nothing but created personal crises since he became leader. The effect of the current government have not reached the common man but it is still good for me. We have on this forum that our GDP have increased by 6.4%. Recently we read that Sweden is the best in terms of recovery from recession. Our finance minister is an important voice in the international circles this days.

WE WANT TO GO BACK TO BIDRAG (BENEFITS) ERA, THAT IS KNOCKING DOWN THE ECONOMICS OF OTHER COUNTRIES.

THIS IS REALLY SAD. NO WONDER WE HATE INGVAR KAMPRAD AND LOVE S
14:07 May 27, 2011 by Syftfel
The above comments need to be balanced: - That means that one third of Sweden's citizens has been blinded by these lying backstabbing socialists. This party, the party of the rat, palme, is nothing more than a totalitarian, ersatz, communist cabal who thinks that all societal problems can be solved by raising taxes and sticking it to the rich. They keep harping on egalitarianism and inequities, at the expense of freedom and patriotism. If you let this filth continue, you will be living in DDR-like proletarian paradise, where nothing is left to chance. You will have no freedoms. All decent Swedes absolutely detest these social dems and orwellian plans for the future. Who are the people, who vote for this verminous cabal anyway? Ususally the freeloaders, interlopers, marxists and other garbage who do not wish to earn their own keep, but who want others to the heavy lifting for them. I want socialist Juholt, and his stinking ill-mannered SSU-henchmen, to put individuals like me on top of his enemies list. I'm out to fight him, and I consider him and his oppressive party an utterly useless piece of sh*t that lacks the gene for common decency, and has morally inverted values, and that must be sent to the scrapheap of Swedish history. We must stop him before he drags Sweden down to the level of the Greeks. Wake up, and get rid of this cockroach, at the earliest possible election, before him and his working class heroes(Ha!) does any more damage! Celebrate freedom!
14:19 May 27, 2011 by lewni
So where and when was this so called poll ? I'd like to have had a chance to "vote".
18:37 May 27, 2011 by RobinHood
The Social Democrats finally "elect" a vibrant dynamic young leader who truly represents every Swede's aspirations, and they soar into a massive 0.3% lead over the Moderates. Game on. After this landslide, who would bet against a sweeping Social Democrat victory at the next election? Cheer up you downtrodden masses, Social Democracy salvation is just around the corner. The screens please nurse; it's time to change into my Napoleon uniform.
18:44 May 27, 2011 by Great Scott
I just love the way you right wingers get your knickers in a twist and the way when you foam at the mouth when you hear the truth. You know denial is a bad thing, more than 300,000 unemployed and increasing, the homeless increasing day by day at light speed, people having to travel from one end of the country to the other just to see a doctor because of closures, old age people who can't support themselves at home can't get a place in a retirement home and people declared unfit to work by their own doctor are having their benefits cuts. Sweden's best days were before the 90's when the right wing started its little trip of destruction, recession and 500% interest rates etc. Before that Sweden excelled with a labour government.

Hope you enjoy the reading I'm off for a nice weekend.
20:17 May 27, 2011 by Syftfel
@Great Scott: Rather than referring to the two camps as "left wingers" and "right wingers", it would be more descriptive to use the terms "socialists" and "Swedes".
23:56 May 27, 2011 by Muff
@ Syftfel: They are the same.
08:58 May 28, 2011 by J. L. Belmar
Just think about Juholt becoming a prime minister. Well. He might be just a little bit less bad than Reinfeldt. Wake up Swedes! It is about time you should have a real democratic government and not a communist government disguised as a democratic one. Swedes are the only ones who have not realized that they live in a communist country. That was one of the reasons Putin was just recently a top guest of Reinfeldt. Your prime minister wanted some lessons of an expert in the subject. Wake upo Swedes! You deserve better than Juholt, Sahlin, Reinfeldt, Östros, Mauds and Carl Gustafs.
15:41 May 28, 2011 by prince T
Syftfel is true bred RACIST. Everything is about race to Sy. The football hooligan who happens to be a true Swede was an immigrant according to Syfel. I wonder how many immigrants i see at the stadium in Götborg. blacks are Swedes too according to an article i read here last week. WE HAVE GONE PAST JIM CROW ERA. Sytfel get a life
23:01 May 28, 2011 by Syftfel
@prince T; I have great life. And I'm rich!
08:37 May 29, 2011 by prince T
A mans life does not consist in the abundance of goods that he or she has. I have seen may rich people commit suicide. being rich does not mean you have a life. This is one of your ignorance you are displaying here again. This might be why you are miserable and deluded in your thinking. Money dont buy happiness, What you are even calling riches might be coins. A rich man that sleeps in front of computer everyday
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