SD figure blames veil-ban proposal for losing young voters

Sweden Democrat Tobias Andersson says his party’s proposal to ban Islamic headscarves helped drive young voters away. The party lost seven percentage points among the youngest voters, but the same group gave more support to another party on the right.

In an SVT interview published on 10 October, the former youth-wing leader criticised the proposal’s lack of nuance and explanation. He distinguished face-covering burqas and niqabs from the headscarf, which he said was now common in Sweden.

SD’s June proposal sought an inquiry into a nationwide ban extending beyond face coverings. Party spokesperson Sara Gille presented it as a response to women’s oppression and honour-related violence.

SVT’s exit-poll figures put SD’s support among 18–21-year-olds at 15 per cent, down from 22 per cent in 2022. The poll does not establish whether the veil proposal caused the decline.

The Moderates gained four percentage points in that age group, reaching 30 per cent. The Social Democrats remained at 20 per cent.

Andersson said winning young voters back should be the priority. He also urged the party to concentrate its campaigning on fewer, clearer policy issues.

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