Sweden's far-right Sweden Democrats, which recently topped an opinion poll for the first time, want a referendum to be held on the country's generous immigration policy, its party leader said Saturday. "It's time for a referendum in Sweden on our immigration policy," Jimmie Akesson told supporters who gathered to hear his annual summer speech. His chances of obtaining a vote are however slim: parliament must vote on whether to hold a referendum, and only six have been held since 1922.
Sweden welcomed 80,000 refugees last year, shouldering the biggest burden in the EU as a proportion of its population of 9.7 million. With a cradle-to-grave welfare state, a reputation for tolerance, and a healthy economy and job market, Sweden is a favoured destination for the record number of migrants fleeing conflicts, authoritarian regimes and poverty worldwide.
Akesson said Sweden's open-arms policy and generous benefits system were contributing to the tragedy unfolding in Europe today. "What is it that makes people risk their lives and those of their children to come here? I dare say it is the other parties' lax policies that cause many of these tragic fates. That cause death," he said. The Sweden Democrats, with roots in Sweden's most radical extreme right, entered parliament in 2010 with the ambition of curbing immigration. They became the third-biggest party in 2014 general elections with 12.9 percent of votes and 49 of the 349 seats in parliament.
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