Nationalists opposing refugee acceptance become strongest party in Sweden for first time

According to the latest poll, Jimmie Åkesson's Sweden Democrats record the highest popularity since formation and are currently the strongest party in Sweden, reports The Local, as carried by the Patria news agency.

The nationalists have seen a steady rise in popularity since September 2014, when they won 12.9 percent in the parliamentary elections. 

A YouGov survey published in Sweden's Metro suggests that today, 25.2 percent of citizens would vote for the party advocating a radical reduction in refugee acceptance, while the immigrant-friendly Social Democrats of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven enjoy the support of 23.4 percent of respondents. 

The Sweden Democrats, whose roots are in the far right, have had representatives in parliament since 2010 and call for a firm stance on refugee acceptance and reform of immigration policy.   

"There is a significant level of general dissatisfaction with the government, primarily against its immigration and integration guidelines," said the chief secretary of the Swedish nationalists, Richard Jomshof, in a comment on the poll for the TT agency, writes Index.