Sweden’s far right party plunged the country into unprecedented political upheaval by forcing the government to gamble on fresh elections in the spring after the coalition government failed to push through its budget. The anti-immigrant Democrats, the country’s third largest party with 13% of the vote, portrayed the new elections in March as a referendum on immigration, currently at near-record highs as refugees flee conflict in Syria, Iraq and Somalia.

The Democrats’ leader Mattias Karlsson  has noted that his party will focus entirely on the issue of immigration. It is well-known that the Democrats admire Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the Immigration Minister Scott Morrison. The Party has been in negotiations with Abbott and Morrison to advise them how to win the Swedish election.

The Swedish prime minister Stefan Löfven admitted the the Democrats now had a veto over Swedish politics, leaving him no choice but to call elections just six months after the country went to the polls in September.