Utmanarna. Uppkomst, idéer och opinion.

Abstract

The Contenders: Their origin, ideas and voters

Five parties held (almost) all seats in the Swedish Riksdag between 1921 and 1988. Although contenders have been around since the mid 60’s, it took until the elections of 1988 and 1991 for three newcomers to make a breakthrough: Miljöpartiet (1988), Kristdemokraterna and Ny Demokrati (1991). This article examines the serious challengers that emerged in the early 2000s, i.e. Junilistan, Piratpartiet, Sverigedemokraterna and Feministiskt initiativ. How did they emerge, what issues and ideas do they represent, and what characterizes the voters that are attracted by them? The articles’ main focus is on the last question. We conclude that although there are variations between the supporters of the four different parties, they share some common properties. The typical contender-voter is a young man that is uninterested in politics, has a low education and is poorly integrated into the labour market.