A polarized model of opposition: Excluding and including the Sweden Democrats

This chapter presents the results of a study of opposition to the Sweden Democrats undertaken by domestic and international actors from civil society, the political arena, and public authorities. I map opposition using Bourne’s (2023) typology of opposition to populist parties, with data collected from newspapers during three periods spanning 2014 to 2023. This period covers political intolerance towards the Sweden Democrats through to its normalization as support party for a mainstream right government in 2022. The Swedish model of opposition to populist parties is characterized by polarization. The data show that domestic political parties are predominant actors, applying both tolerant and intolerant initiatives. Indeed, for several years, Swedish politics were dominated by questions pertaining to the Sweden Democrats’ pivotal position in parliament. Civil society actors were also active opponents, using mainly tolerant means, although many civil society actors supported political ostracism and some initiatives lie at the boundary of intolerance and tolerance. Before cooperating formally, right-wing political parties occupied an ambiguous position, refusing to cooperate but accepting its support. The analysis shows that democratic defence motivated ostracism but ended for the political right when it conflicted with office and policy goals.