Sweden's far-right leader Akesson brought fringe party to brink of power

STOCKHOLM, July 23 - It's no coincidence that it sounded like the start of a rock concert when Swedish far-right leader Jimmie Akesson strode onto the stage to chants of "Jimmie! Jimmie! Jimmie!" from a crowd of supporters, some wearing his face on their T-shirts.

Akesson, who is now 47 and has led the Sweden Democrats since he was 25, plays keyboards in a Viking rock band and had a heavy metal-themed wedding two years ago, with guests singing karaoke and no dress code. His rowdy live act at political rallies is part of the appeal of a party that has become Sweden's second largest.

Now, after decades being shunned by the mainstream, and four years propping up a centre-right minority government from the sidelines, he aims to win a share of political power for the first time in an election in September.

The party, which acknowledges that some of its founders were neo-Nazis, says that it now has a strict "no racism" policy. But a poll last year found that half of Swedish voters still view the Sweden Democrats as racist, and opponents say they can still plainly hear open bigotry in some of Akesson's remarks.

"It's our politics that ensures that those who make an effort, go to work, will have a better, safer and freer life than the neighboring couple who sit at home with their eight children and watch Arabic soap operas," Akesson told the rally to loud applause.

In an interview with Reuters, Akesson said patience had been key to the party's success as he built support from around 2% of the electorate to its present levels, 10 times as big.

"I said already in my inauguration speech as party leader in 2005 that we will become a large party with great influence over politics, that we will eventually be a government party and challenge the Social Democrats as the largest party," he said.

Akesson, usually dressed in a suit but with no tie, cultivates a relaxed persona. Despite being the longest-serving party leader in parliament, he still lives in his hometown in southern Sweden and commutes weekly to attend the Riksdag in Stockholm.

"He's not up on a high horse and he has a knack for explaining complicated issues in an easy, understandable way," said Jenny Madestam, a political scientist at Sodertorn University. "He is the guy next door."

PARTY'S NEO-NAZI ROOTS

The Sweden Democrats were founded in 1988 as a radical nationalist party. According to an internal investigation, some founders were neo-Nazis, including a Swede who fought in the German SS during World War Two. Early party material shows antisemitism and racism were common.

Akesson joined the party in 1995, shortly after it began distancing itself from its most radical ideologies. It expelled extremist members, banned uniforms at official gatherings and urged members to abandon steel-toed boots and bomber jackets.

Akesson said it was the party's opposition to the European Union that convinced him to join, though he dropped the policy of seeking "Swexit" in 2019.

After taking over as party leader in 2005, Akesson embarked on a strategy to broaden the party's appeal and build a more conventional political organisation. Together with a close-knit group of allies known as the "Gang of Four", he established local party organisations to contest municipal elections.

"It was a travelling circus," he said. "We went town to town and did everything from printing membership cards to talking policy. It was a really fun time, because we were making such progress."

Scandals have continued to surface. Last year one of the party's lawmakers had to step down after he was caught owning a vast collection of Nazi memorabilia, including two early editions of Mein Kampf and fan pictures of Hitler.

But the party insists it has left extremism behind.

"There were severe problems in the party's earliest childhood," said Mattias Karlsson, member of parliament for the Sweden Democrats and author of the party's ideological programme. "But today, I don't think it is worse than in other parties." REUTERS