The vast majority of Swedes do not want more refugees in their country, which is a highly divisive issue for politicians in Sweden. Several parties have come to a crossroads, and now they must face the music.

According to a recent survey conducted by Sweden s public service broadcaster SVT, around 63 per cent of the population wants Sweden to admit fewer refugees than in 2019, when 22,000 people applied for asylum. The number of those rejecting migration has seen a drastic rise compared to 53 per cent measured in 2018, while the number of those who strongly support migration fell to 8 per cent from the previous 12.

SVT s domestic policy commentator Mats Knutson said political parties would try to reach a compromise on the issue in the coming weeks, but not much success is expected. Pointing out that the government had already relinquished its previous position and clearly wants to reduce immigration quotas, he stressed that the cabinet has been implementing a growing number of restrictions even during this past one year.

Knutson also underlined that voters wanted fewer immigrants, adding that the ball was now in the government s court to either accept this, or allow the Green Party – the minor coalition party that continues to insist on liberalising Sweden s refugee policy – to have their way.

According to the SVT survey, a majority of voters would maximize annual immigration by 10,000, however, this is not in line with party views, which has led to divisions within parties. According to the expert, there is also a chance that the Green Party will leave the coalition and cause a government crisis. „So Stefan Lofven will now have the difficult task to run negotiations on a broad yet credible migration policy in parliament without having to take action against his own government, pushing it into crisis. It doesn t seem like an easy task,” Knutson says.