The Sweden Democrats or Swedish Democrats (Swedish: Sverigedemokraterna, SD) are a political party in Sweden, founded in 1988. SD describes itself as a nationalist movement although others use the term far-right. Since 2005, its party chairman is Jimmie Åkesson, while Björn Söder is the party secretary and parliamentary group leader. An Anemone hepatica flower (blåsippa) is the official SD logo since 2006. In 2011 the party moderated its profile by also identifying as a social conservative party.
The Sweden Democrats had 5,846 members in early 2011. SD is divided in eighteen district party associations throughout Sweden, as well as in various local or municipal associations. Young members are organised in the Sweden Democratic Youth (SDU), founded in 1998. The party also distributes a newspaper to its members, SD-Kuriren.
In the 2010 general election, the Sweden Democrats for the first time crossed the four percent threshold necessary for parliamentary representation. This increase in popularity has been compared by international media to other similar anti-immigration movements in Europe. The party polled 5.7% and won 20 parliamentary seats.
Read more about Sweden Democrats: Ideology and Political Positions, Controversies, Party Leaders
Famous quotes containing the word democrats:
“Do you know I believe that [William Jennings] Bryan will force his nomination on the Democrats again. I believe he will either do this by advocating Prohibition, or else he will run on a Prohibition platform independent of the Democrats. But you will see that the year before the election he will organize a mammoth lecture tour and will make Prohibition the leading note of every address.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)