Ingen kopia av riksdagsvalet. Utfallet av valen till kommunfullmäktige 2010 i landets 290 kommuner, med särskilda fallstudier av Sverigedemokraternas agerande

Abstract

English title

The Swedish local election in 2010 – concerning 290 municipal councils – yielded partly different results than the parliamentary election, taking place the same day. In the 290 municipalities taken together, the four non-socialist parties received fewer votes than they did in the simultaneous election to the Riksdag.; the primary reason for this difference is that the Moderates received nearly four percentage points fewer votes in the local elections. As a result, the average election results in all 290 municipalities generated a much closer balance of power between the non-socialist bloc and the opposing red-green bloc compared to the national level. In addition, the political breakthrough of the Sweden Democrats, at the national level and at the local level, resulted in an increasing number of municipalities where neither the non-socialist bloc nor the red-green bloc controls a majority of the seats. Yet in spite of this development, the established parties still maintain that the Sweden Democrats never will be allowed to participate in ruling coalitions. In order to exclude the Sweden Democrats from power in municipalities with insufficient bloc-based majorities, the established parties have employed two strategies; either the Sweden Democrats are blocked by the formation of grand coalitions or ignored by the introduction of minority governments. Yet, in municipalities where minority governments have been chosen, the Sweden Democrats are sometimes able to affect – in some cases even decide – which political bloc that will rule the municipality. Hence, in spite of the promises made by the established parties, the Sweden Democrats have gained an indirect opportunity to exercise political influence. The results of the article shows that if the Sweden Democrats have taken a stand for any of the two opposing blocs, they have mostly leant towards supporting non-socialist parties, sometimes cooperating with the Green party. The results also show that some municipalities stand out. In complete contrast to official rhetoric at the national level, the non-socialist bloc have begun formal cooperation with the Sweden Democrats in one municipality, while the Social Democrats have been actively supported by the Sweden Democrats in another.