A successful election for the Sweden Democrats meant that the party held the potential balance of power in 41 municipalities. In most cases however the remaining parties have swallowed their pride and entered into uncomfortable alliances to avoid power-sharing arrangements with the anti-immigrant party, Dagens Nyheter reports.
In Härjedalen for example representatives of the Social Democrats, the Left, Centre and Liberal Parties, have come together in a rainbow coalition to keep the Sweden Democrats out.
In Karlskrona meanwhile the four parties of the centre-right Alliance are close to reaching an agreement with the Green Party, a move the outgoing Social Democratic chairman Mats Johansson describes as “dishonest”. Johansson favours a solution such as that reached in Härjedalen.
Both Trelleborg and Falköping are now controlled by parties from the centre-right, but local Social Democrats almost threw a spanner in the works.
Social Democrats in Trelleborg surprised observers by entering into talks with local Sweden Democrats. The two politicians in question met with massive internal criticism however and were forced to resign.
A similar situation seemed to be on the cards in Falköping where the outgoing Social Democratic chairman was spotted sharing a car with the local leader of the Sweden Democrats.
In many municipalities the established parties have chosen to cooperate with small local parties or the Pensioners Party in order to avoid working with the Sweden Democrats.
The situation is perhaps most serious in Södertälje, where the openly xenophobic National Democrats look like playing a pivotal role.
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