The Center Retreats in Sweden

Sweden’s hard-right populist party, the Sweden Democrats, didn’t do as well in Sunday’s election as some polls had predicted, but the preliminary results were still enough to cast a cloud of uncertainty over the country. With almost 18 percent of the vote, and 62 seats in the 349-member parliament, the insurgents have made it impossible for business-as-usual coalitions led by the center-left Social Democrats or center-right Moderates to form a government.

Difficult negotiations lie ahead. Conceivably, the populists could end up in government with the center-right — but even if that doesn't happen, a party with neo-Nazi roots, energized by anti-immigrant sentiment, will be exercising outsized influence in a country known hitherto for its stability, moderation and strong humanitarian instincts.