The far right’s steady march toward power in Sweden has been checked at the ballot box, but its imprint on the country’s politics remains, according to the Guardian. The Sweden Democrats (SD) slipped to third place in Sunday’s general election, an outcome that interrupts a pattern of continuous growth the party has enjoyed since its founding in 1988.

For much of the past decade, a triumph for the party appeared all but inevitable. The Guardian notes that the story of the Sweden Democrats has been one of unbroken expansion, to the point where a win in Sunday’s vote seemed likely before the results came in.

In the 2022 election, the party capitalised on electoral gains and on the willingness of right-leaning parties to form a minority administration, almost making its way into government. A supporting role in Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s Tidö coalition earned the party significant influence and a measure of mainstream acceptance from the political establishment, despite its neo-Nazi roots, according to the Guardian.

The latest results point to a shift. The Guardian reports that the Swedish centre-left opposition widened its lead to three seats with 95% of votes counted, leaving the Sweden Democrats in third after their long ascent.

Yet the party’s setback at the polls does not erase its impact. According to the Guardian, the Sweden Democrats’ hardline positions have already reshaped the political mainstream, meaning their influence endures even as their direct march to power has stalled.