Scandinavia: The European elections in Scandinavia have put an end to the credibility of opinion polls. Swedish polls suggested that the euro-sceptic June List party might win one seat in the weekend's elections but none predicted they would win 14.4 per cent of the vote and end up taking three of Sweden's 19 seats.
In Denmark, political analysts are still trying to figure out how the Eurosceptics there did so poorly. Denmark has a long tradition of antagonism towards the EU and Eurosceptic politicians there have inspired similar anti-EU campaigners elsewhere, including Ireland.
However, the Danish June Movement lost two of its three seats while the Danish People's Party, together with the Anti-EU Movement, only just retained each of their respective single seats.
"I wish I could give you a solid explanation for this result," says professor of political science at the University of Århus, Jorgen Eklit.
"I can only speculate that the Danish electorate has finally accepted that it's part of the European Union and it's now voting within the normal Danish party structure. The EU-sceptic movements in Denmark have been around for a long time and they are not really fitting into the pattern any more. They haven't been very high-profile either."
Even before Denmark joined the EEC in 1973, an anti-Europe movement was formed. The movement has campaigned and successfully won seats in the European Parliament since then but voters appear to be getting tired of the same old faces.
In Sweden, voters have been presented with some entirely new faces in the form of the June List party and most voters who were undecided on the day of the election ended up voting for them. Leading economist Mr Nils Lundgren is head of the June List. He was one of the country's most vocal campaigners when Sweden voted against joining the Euro last September and he was clearly able to capitalise on the country's anti-EU sentiment in this election.
The June List has followed the same political model as its Danish counterpart and despite being just four months old, the party is now Sweden's third largest in Europe.
"I must say, I assumed there was a flaw in the exit polls when I first heard the news," says professor of political science at Gothenburg University, Peter Essaiasson. "They're experiencing a honeymoon period at the moment."
"This is the first time Swedish voters have had this kind of option in a European election. They had nobody else to vote for before and they think the June List will do everything for them. It's like being in love. The voters only see the good things right now."
The June List claims it is not anti-Europe but that it believes too much power has been entrusted into the hands of Brussels bureaucrats. The party's goal is to limit the amount of power being given to Brussels.
The effect the party will have in Brussels is likely to be limited and political analysts in Sweden are not confident that the June List will survive in the long term, "unless of course they surprise us again by building up a new organization," says Prof Essaiasson.
Sweden is debating having a referendum on the EU-constitution at the moment and the June List will be relying on one in order to give it a platform for debating EU issues at home.
The Danish EU-sceptical parties will also be looking forward to Denmark's referendum on the constitution as the next opportunity to revitalise their image in light of their recent losses.
The election outcome in both countries isn't likely to affect the overall political landscape in either country but the ruling Social Democrat party in Sweden will have to be concerned with its performance; its worst electoral result since 1911.
The party won just 24.7 per cent of the vote.
The Danish Social Democrat Party, on the other hand, is celebrating after winning five of the country's 14 seats. However, the Social Democrat Party in Denmark is in opposition and its electoral success on this occasion is being viewed as an anti-government vote.