Konsten att inte skjuta sig själv i foten

Sammanfattning: The aim of the thesis is to examine whether there is a connection between how established parties – mainstream parties – act towards right-wing niche parties and the immigration-issue, and the niche parties electoral success. The objects of study are the Swedish Democrats and the Danish People’s Party over two given elections. The mainstream parties in each country are the Social Democrats and the Moderate Party in Sweden, and the Left, Denmark’s Liberal Party and the Social Democrats in Denmark. How the mainstream parties affect the niche parties have been analyzed through a set of strategies the mainstream parties can adopt defined in the modified spatial theory. Through party publications, the mainstream parties stance on immigration is examined via content analysis. Through statements given by the party leaders of the mainstream parties in speeches and newspaper articles, the same is done on the view of the niche parties. The findings suggest that there is a connection, but that it does not entail the lone reason to each niche parties electoral success. Therefore, the conclusion is that other circumstances – contemporary events such as the immigration crisis, for example – also might affect the electoral success of niche parties.