STOCKHOLM, Sept 11 (Reuters) - When Ulf Kristersson promised Holocaust survivor Hedi Fried his Moderates would never cooperate with the far-right Sweden Democrats back in 2018, the party was still treated as a political outcast by much of Sweden's right wing.
Four years later, the party's support helped carry Kristersson into office, lending its votes to the three-party right-wing minority government he leads and propelling his journey of shifting Sweden's politics to focus on tougher policies on immigration and crime.
Now, if the right wins Sunday's election, Kristersson has said he will include the Sweden Democrats in his new government, which would be the first time it would join a cabinet.
Kristersson's government has already abolished permanent residency for asylum seekers and ramped up expulsions. It had to drop a bill to lock up the most violent 13-year-old criminals, settling for offenders one year older, but has imposed stiffer sentencing and expanded police powers.
MANAGERIAL STYLE
"There were fundamental things that just weren't working in Sweden," Kristersson, a 62-year-old father of three, said at the launch of his party's manifesto in August.
Asylum numbers have dropped to a 40-year low and shooting deaths are down 75%.
Things looked bleak for Kristersson - who as head of the Moderates' youth wing espoused open borders - when he took over as party leader in 2017.
The centre right was split over whether to work with the Sweden Democrats and had no way back to power.
Prioritising pragmatism over principles, Kristersson broke the taboo, clearing the way for a centre-right victory in 2022 and four years of stable government - a rarity in recent years.
His unflappable leadership and managerial style have smoothed personal frictions with his coalition and helped him shake off questions about his judgment in picking advisers, including one accused of leaving secret documents in a hotel.
"He talks about being the adult in the room, and, by and large, he has succeeded in being that," Jenny Madestam, political scientist at Sodertorn University, said.
CRITICS POINT TO MOVE FURTHER RIGHT
To critics, however, Kristersson's pursuit of power risks cementing the far right's anti-immigration agenda at the heart of Swedish politics and a further move to the right.
"I've lived in Donald Trump's USA the last few years and I've seen how fast it can go in the wrong direction," Birgitta Ohlsson, of the opposition Centre Party and a former EU minister, said.
Polls show the left and right blocs running neck and neck.
If Swedes do pick the right bloc, Kristersson's pragmatism could still face a test. The Sweden Democrats could get more votes than the Moderates. Most analysts expect Kristersson would soldier on as prime minister, but his authority would be weak.
"The Sweden Democrats would be in control, in practice," said Marie Demker, professor of political science at Gothenburg University.
(Reporting by Simon Johnson, additional reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Niklas Pollard and Alison Williams)
