Who is Akesson, leader of the nationalist right who triumphed in the elections in Sweden

Earthquake in Sweden, where the nationalist right-wing Sverigesdemokraterna party, the Swedish Democrats, recorded a historic result in last Sunday’s parliamentary elections and, for the first time, is one step away from governing with moderate right-wing allies. A success largely due to the leader of the formation, Jimmie Akesson, who was able to break through an electorate disappointed by the large traditional parties of the Scandinavian country and less and less tolerant towards immigrants

Sweden, the right wins in the elections and the premier resigns

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Akesson, 43, originally from Sölvesborg, a rural municipality in the Blekinge region of southeastern Sweden, speaks with a strong accent of his home areas. And it is precisely his accent and his way of speaking to voters that set him apart from other Swedish politicians

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With 20.7% of the vote, ahead of the conservative party led by Ulf Kristersson, at 19%, Akesson is the moral winner of the vote. The figure of him, very mediatic, emerged strongly during the election campaign in which he overshadowed his ally, Kristersson, a 55-year-old veteran of Swedish politics in his second attempt to conquer the post of prime minister

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The real victory of Akesson, for 17 years at the helm of the Swedish Democrats, however, is to have made his party pass from pariah of the national political landscape to an indispensable heavyweight to the right to be able to govern During the electoral campaign, the leader of the right Swedish has posted videos on Instagram while cooking traditional recipes, giving the image of a man of the people, who knows how to intercept their aspirations and concerns. First of all, the massive immigration

Nicknamed Yimmie, the 43-year-old with a solid build and well-groomed beard, separated with a son, does not particularly like the tie and cultivates a ‘normal’ Swedish image. He managed to capture attention during the entire election campaign, during which he toured the country, appealing to a predominantly male and often rural electorate

In recent years, there has been an increase in armed clashes in the outskirts of large cities, mostly linked to conflicts between local gangs, involving Swedish citizens, born and raised in Sweden but often with parents from other countries. And it is precisely by pointing the finger at the non-European origins of many gang members that the nationalists have rhetorically combined the fight against crime with that against immigration.

Akesson then monopolized the debate on social networks, dictating the agenda of controversies on the issues of immigration, security and purchasing power, with inflation at 8% and an exploding electricity bill in some regions. of Sweden. The Swedish Democrats have not only wrested voters from conservatives, but also from social democrats, especially among the working class

In 2020 Akesson flew to Turkey to distribute leaflets reading “Sweden is Full”, with the clear intent of deterring potential migrants and putting the spotlight on the problem. The move raised harsh criticism in his country and the party leader was also stopped by the Turkish authorities

In parallel with the growing consensus, the Swedish Democrats have however tried to change their propaganda style, cutting out controversial phrases such as the time in which Akesson called Muslims “the greatest foreign threat since World War II” or proposed to leave the Union. European

Disputes also over Stockholm’s position on the international stage, with the Swedish Democrats accused by the outgoing Social Democratic Defense Minister, Petter Hultqvist, of putting national security at risk. During the last week of the election campaign, Hultqvist held a press conference at his party headquarters, warning voters of the danger of electing a party “that doesn’t know which side to stand between the United States and Russia”

“He wants to give an image of an ordinary person who roasts sausages, travels to the Canary Islands on a charter flight and talks ordinary as well as living in an affordable housing estate in a small town” commented Jonas Hinnfors, Professor of Political Science at the University of Goteborg