Immigration has been a central issue of the campaign. The SD doubled its seats in the 2014 election and it is predicted to double them again in this election.
The polls have opened in Sweden’s general election – where an anti-immigration party is vying to make large gains.
The nationalist Sweden Democrats (SD), which polls suggest have 20% support, are tipped for second place.
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called the SD a “racist” party as he cast his ballot in Stockholm.
The SD – which has its roots in neo-Nazism – has rebranded itself and says it is inclusive.
Neither the governing Social Democrats nor the main centre-right party, the Moderates, is likely to win a majority.
Immigration has been a central issue of the campaign. The SD doubled its seats in the 2014 election and it is predicted to double them again in this election.
More than a quarter of Sweden’s voters were still undecided in the final week of campaigning, according to national polling company Sifo.
“I’m still hesitating between the Moderates and SD. SD is quite close to the Moderates but they’re a little more clear in what they want. They’re more direct,” Elias, an 18-year-old voting in his first election, told AFP news agency.
On Saturday, SD leader Jimmie Akesson countered that Sweden had been “an extreme country in many ways, not least when it comes to immigration” and that his plan to take in fewer migrants would be regarded as “normal politics in the rest of Europe”.
Other European countries have also seen a surge in support for anti-immigration parties in recent years. The Danish People’s Party won 21% in 2015, and the far-right Alternative for Germany won 12.6% in 2017.