European Parliament Elections in the Post-Brexit-Referendum EU — The Case of Sweden

Abstract: The 2019 European Parliament election in Sweden was full of surprises and paradoxes. For the first time since Sweden joined the European Union (EU), there were no major parties contesting the election which advocated the Swedish exit from the EU. This U-turn by two staunch EU opponents — Sweden Democrats and the Left Party — was even more unexpected given the backdrop, namely the impending British withdrawal from the EU, which was thought to amplify the eurosceptic attitudes. Despite the predictions, these two remaining eurosceptic parties shifted their positions the opposite way. At the same time, the election results seemingly showed that Sweden was going against the common European Green-Liberal trend, with its so-called right-wing wave. This thesis will attempt, by analyzing the national and European political background Post-Brexit-Referendum, as well as through employing several theories, to explain, categorize and put into context the 2019 Election. Other perspectives will also be considered that can be helpful in better interpreting and understanding the election outcome than the first glance allows