SD's strategy backfired and the election result is a "notable setback" for the party, according to a political scientist.
For the first time, the Sweden Democrats are losing ground in an election. The drop of around 2 percentage points has been described as a cold shower, despite the party retaining its three seats in the European Parliament.
The Sweden Democrats have built up an image of being unbeatable and went into the election with great confidence. This makes the fall even greater, he says.
One explanation for the drop could be that the party had a rhetoric that was harsher than in many years, he believes.
He points to Jimmie Åkesson's confrontation with TV4 and the talk of population exchange as two examples.
The strategy likely has internal critics within the party, says Johansson Heinö.
Now there may be internal divisions within the party – something it has never had to face after an election.
At the same time, the strategy is closely linked to the SD leader.
Will there be questions about his leadership now?
Johansson Heinö guesses that the SD leadership will first try to downplay the loss.
Will the party need to change?
The Sweden Democrats are decreasing in the European Championship election from 15.3 per cent to a preliminary 13.2.
The decline may have several explanations.
The revelation about the Sweden Democrats' anonymous social media accounts, as well as how the party leadership strongly counter-attacked, has been highlighted as one.
The Sweden Democrats also heavily focused on migration, which was not as important an issue for voters in this election as before.
One speculation is that some voters may have gone to the Christian Democrats.
Traditionally, the Sweden Democrats have also had difficulty mobilising their own voters in European Championship elections.
