VOA慢速英语2018--瑞典面对反移民的强烈反应

Sweden Politics Facing Anti-Immigrant Backlash

Sweden, home of the Nobel Prize, is facing political problems.

The two main political alliances failed to win a clear governing majority in elections on Sunday.

The ruling coalition¹, representing the Social Democrats², Greens and the Left Party, won the most votes. The opposition³ center-right Alliance finished in second place. Each side received a little more than 40 percent of the vote.

The Sweden Democrats, a party with ties to white extremists, finished in third place. It won 17.6 percent of the votes. That was up from 13 percent in the 2014 elections.

The Sweden Democrats gained because of voters’ concerns about the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who moved to the country in recent years. The party wants Sweden to leave the European Union.

The Sweden Democrats have been working to change the party’s image as a movement working in support of Nazi⁴ policies. The Nazi party ruled Germany in the years leading up to and including World War II.

Prime Minister predicts he will stay in office

After the vote on Sunday, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofve has said he will stay in his position. His party – the Social Democrats -- won the largest number of votes. Lofve has led the government since 2014.

The Social Democrats have rejected any possible cooperation with the Sweden Democrats to form a government, said Interior Minister Anders Ygenam. He predicted that the Social Democrats will stay in power.

"I believe that it must be the largest party in Sweden that forms a government. Historically, it has been always been this way in Sweden," he said. "The main parties will try to form a government which could "takes week, months." The Swedish news agency TT reported his comments.

The Sweden Democrats have said they could not be ignored in coalition negotiations⁵ and have promised to use their influence.

"This party has increased…everything is about us," its leader Jimmie Akesson said, on election night. "I am ready to talk with others."

Lofven told his supporters the election presented "a situation that all responsible parties must deal with," adding that "a party with roots in Nazism⁶" would "never ever offer anything responsible, but hatred⁷."

"We have a moral responsibility. We must gather all forces for good,” he said.

Effect of migration⁸ on Swedish politics

Sweden has been militarily neutral for nearly 200 years. It has been known for its usually open doors to migrants and refugees. The election on Sunday was the first since Sweden’s 10 million population accepted a record 163,000 refugees in 2015. That is the highest per capita of any European country.

That had followed the earlier arrival of hundreds of thousands of asylum⁹ seekers.

Since 2015, Sweden’s government has sharply restricted immigration. But many Swedes say their country cannot deal with so many newcomers, many of them Muslims from Africa and the Middle East.

The growing strength of the Sweden Democrats also show how old ways of thinking are collapsing¹⁰.

Only a few years ago, Swedes would be denounced as racist¹¹ for suggesting the country had limits on how many migrants it should take. They also would be criticized for expressing the belief that it is difficult to integrate Africans and Arabs in Swedish society. But people increasingly are expressing such ideas more freely, adding to the support of the Sweden Democrats.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

backlash – n. strong public reaction against something

per capita – adj. by or for each person

integrate – v. to unite with something else

migrant – n. someone who moves from place to place, usually for economic reasons

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 Nazism   

n. 纳粹主义

参考例句：

• His philosophical eyes were obviously shortsighted by the evil influence of Nazism. 显然，他那双哲学家般的深邃的眼睛也被纳粹的妖氛所眩惑。 来自中国文学部分
• Nazism suppressed all three movements as degenerate. 纳粹把所有三个运动都作为颓废艺术而加以镇压。

7 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

8 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

9 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

10 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

11 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。