Sweden’s political establishment is bracing for a punishing on Sunday as voters in the largest Nordic economy look poised to turn out for a nationalist party in big numbers.
The two traditional political blocs are running neck-and-neck, but will be far from winning a majority with anti-immigration Sweden Democrats gaining backers. The ruling Social Democrats could suffer the worst election ever, while the biggest opposition party, the Moderates, may see its backing slide to almost half of what it was early this decade.
The post-election landscape will likely be chaotic and could cast a broader shadow over Europe amid advances of anti-European Union forces. The former communist Left Party is also poised to make big gains. Party leaders on Saturday warned that the country could face weeks of negotiations after a tense, and sometimes mocking, last debate late on Friday.
Party leaders have kept their post-election strategies close to their vests during the campaign, though all have said they won’t invite the Sweden Democrats into government. The centre-right Alliance, led by the Moderates, could attempt to take over even if it becomes the smaller bloc. The Social Democratic-led side may also try to cling to power.
Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson struck a defiant tone Friday in the last days of a dismal campaign. “This government needs to go,” he said at a rally in Stockholm. “It should never have seen the light of day and now we’ll get a clean slate in parliament. A new time will begin in Swedish politics.”
While Mr Kristersson’s party is far from its heyday, his four-party alliance is staging a small comeback in recent polls. In the latest Inizio poll, published by Aftonbladet on Saturday, the centre-right bloc extended its lead over the government parties and their Left Party ally.
The Sweden Democrats, calling for an exit from the EU, is polling around 18 per cent on average now. It would rise from about 13 per cent four years ago after gaining backers amid growing discontent over immigration and rising crime rates. Some outlying polls have shown it could even become the largest after voting closes at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday.
That’s when hard negotiations will start. The most likely scenario is that the bloc with the most votes will attempt to form a minority cabinet.
The latest poll of polls shows the red-greens would control 147 seats in parliament versus the Alliance’s 138. But since the Alliance and the Sweden Democrats want to boot Prime Minister Stefan Lofven out of power and as the nationalists typically side with the centre-right opposition, the group may still try to muscle its way into government.
To form a government all new prime ministers will need to pass a vote in parliament, which involves not having a majority of the legislature against them.
Polls released at the end of this week showed a dead heat, with the Red-Greens below 40 per cent. That increases the likelihood that Kristersson could become the next prime minister even though his conservatives may be overtaken by SD as the second-largest party.
The Social Democrats are also struggling, poised for the worst election since general voting started in 1921. In the latest poll of polls, it was backed by 25.1 per cent of voters, down from 31 per cent in 2014. It’s losing voters both to the Sweden Democrats and the Left Party.
"The Social Democrats seem to be heading toward a catastrophic election," Torbjorn Sjostrom, the chief executive officer of Novus, said in an interview.
As for the Moderates, Mr Sjostrom said any outcome where SD overtakes them will be problematic.
"Is it really possible to be prime minister if you are only the third-biggest party?" he said. "It’s going to be a weird situation if the Sweden Democrats become the second-largest party but won’t be considered as part of a government or even as support for the future government. And what are the Social Democrats going to do with the Left Party, considering their size?"
"There are many factors making things very complicated after election day," Mr Sjostrom said.
_________
Read more:
Right-wing sites swamp Sweden with 'junk news' in tight election race
Europe's populists take their fight to Sweden’s refugee utopia
Police on the beat in Sweden’s so called ‘no go zones’
_________
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
Uefa Champions League last 16 draw
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur
Basel v Manchester City
Sevilla v Manchester United
Porto v Liverpool
Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain
Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma
Chelsea v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Besiktas
Sweet%20Tooth
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJim%20Mickle%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristian%20Convery%2C%20Nonso%20Anozie%2C%20Adeel%20Akhtar%2C%20Stefania%20LaVie%20Owen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
