Special to EUObserver
Swedes head to the polls in September in a national parliamentary election. Bavarians vote in October in a state election.
The Swedish outcome will determine the composition of the next government in Stockholm, and the influence of the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats, currently the second-largest party.
The Bavarian voting may challenge the control the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) has had over regional politics and test the rising strength of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), the third largest party nationally, with implications for future German politics and policy.
In both elections, voters’ nativist sentiments may well help determine the outcome.
New Pew Research Center surveys find that people who have a positive opinion of the anti-immigrant Swedish Democrats and the populist AfD also have more nativist and nationalistic views than people who view these parties negatively.
Read more at EUObserver
