Swedish far-right set for gains as election looms

Fruaengen (Sweden) (AFP) - Surrounded by drab high-rise buildings in a Stockholm suburb, dressed in an impeccable dark suit, Jimmie Aakesson struggles to make himself heard over the shouts of protesters echoing off grey stone walls.

The leader of the Sweden Democrats has been the driving force that has transformed the party from its far-right roots into a signficant political force fed by disaffection with immigration.

Now, the party is vying for the position of third-largest political force in national elections on Sunday, with the potential to cause major disruption in a parliament -- which may be led by a weak minority left-green coalition -- where all parties have shunned them.

"Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's biggest election promise is continued refugee immigration. I think that's the wrong priority," Aakesson tells a small crowd of pensioners and local shop workers.

His voice is nearly drowned out by chants of "Racists Out!" from a small but rowdy group of protestors nearby.

"Our welfare state is collapsing from high refugee immigration... It costs an awful lot of money -- it's built on segregation and exclusion," Aakesson said.

Sweden has one of the world's most generous refugee policies. An estimated 80,000 refugees are expected to apply for asylum there this year, and it grants automatic residency to all refugees fleeing the Syria conflict.

The Sweden Democrats want a radical overhaul of these laws, arguing money should instead be spent on social welfare and humanitarian aid to cap the numbers arriving in the first place.

- 'Racist and xenophobic' -

The party's support has almost doubled since it first entered parliament in 2010 to around 10 percent today, which can give it the power to block laws proposed by an incoming minority government, currently predicted in the polls.

At European Parliament elections in May it won 9.7 percent of the vote and two seats, its best result to date.

It appears to have the wind to its back despite racist scandals that have forced at least half a dozen candidates to withdraw.

Less than a week ahead of the election, the tabloid Expressen published details of racist comments anonymously posted online it said it had traced back to Sweden Democrat candidates.

One of them, the party's top candidate for Stockholm city council, allegedly wrote that Arabs had "violent genes" and immigrants were the "worst liars and manipulators".

That came after another candidate from southern Sweden was forced to resign after photographs emerged appearing to show her wearing a swastika armband.

Critics say the scandals have exposed the Sweden Democrats as still being close to their neo-Nazi roots.

"Their policies are racist and xenophobic, they blame everything on immigrants," Sofia Linden, a 31-year-old shop assistant told AFP as she protested at Aakesson's speech.

Aakesson -- who took the helm of the Sweden Democrats in 2005 -- two years ago announced a "zero tolerance" policy to racism in a bid to clean up the party.

But his campaign rallies have been met with noisy anti-racism protests across the country.

- 'Media bias' -

Supporters claim the party is unfairly treated by the mainstream media.

"I think that the media is very biased," said Linnea Cortes, an 18-year-old Sweden Democrat candidate in Stockholm.

"You can see that a clear majority of journalists belong to the left-green bloc."

Daniel Poohl, at the anti-racist magazine Expo, has mapped the Sweden Democrats' evolution from their neo-Nazi roots in the 1980s and said the "zero tolerance" policy made the party more appealing to mainstream voters.

"It's not really dealing with those racist and intolerant ideas. It's about creating a presentable package," he said.

Opinion polls still show majority support for Sweden's generous refugee policy, but more are starting to listen to the anti-immigration party.

For Sven Olav Lundberg, a 75-year-old pensioner at Aakesson's election rally in Fruaengen, the party's success is a wake-up call for Sweden's political establishment.

"The other parties are starting to talk about immigration now. Why didn't they do it before?" he asked with a frown.

"The Sweden Democrats will get bigger -- because of immigration. There just isn't housing or work for all the immigrants and refugees."