From the Economist: Sweden's Moderate revolution
THE outcome of Sweden’s cliffhanger election was in doubt until late on Sunday September 17th. But the opposition centre-right alliance under Fredrik Reinfeldt, leader of the Moderate Party, eventually emerged with a small but clear victory. The four parties in the alliance took an overall vote of 48.1%, compared with 46.2% for the ruling Social Democrats and their allies. After the tiny parties that failed to cross the 4% threshold are eliminated, that will give the centre-right a seven-seat majority in the Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament.
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Why did the Social Democrats lose? The Swedish economy has recently been the envy of Europe, with good growth, strong exports, a bouncy high-tech sector and relatively low unemployment. In the second quarter of this year, GDP growth hit a racy 5.6% at an annual rate. And all this has been combined with a high level of social protection and a generous welfare state.
But at home there has been mounting dissatisfaction. Many voters were simply fed up with the prime minister, Goran Persson, who has been in office for ten years. A series of minor scandals has tarnished the Social Democrats’ reputation for integrity and incorruptibility. And for all the praise heaped on the country’s welfare system, disguised unemployment in Sweden remains high. Youth unemployment, for example, is among the worst in Europe. The election result suggests that all is not well with the Swedish model.
It also helped that voters found Mr Reinfeldt to be charming, reasonable and, not least, young (he is 41). His party lost badly in 2002, and he drew the conclusion that it should shift to the centre, jettisoning fierce talk of slashing taxes and dismantling the welfare state. In a conscious imitation of Tony Blair in the 1990s, he even rechristened the party the New Moderates, and has promised to rule as such. …
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