Sweden's far-right leader to return to work after burnout

The leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats party will return to work in April after a five-month sick leave for burnout, he said in a television interview on Monday.
"I'll be coming back to work after March 31," Jimmie Aakesson said during the taping of a television talk show to be aired Friday on Swedish public broadcaster SVT, excerpts of which were published on SVT's website.
Aakesson has lifted Sweden's far-right party from obscurity to a serious parliamentary force, with the dapper 35-year-old seeking to position himself as a kinder, gentler sort of anti-immigration leader.
The Sweden Democrats more than doubled their support to 13 percent in Sweden's general elections in September, becoming the third-biggest party in parliament.
A month later Aakesson, who has led the party since 2005, announced he had been put on sick leave by his doctors because he was burned out due to his heavy workload and stress.
Mattias Karlsson, the leader of the party's parliamentary group, has filled in for Aakesson during his absence and the party has maintained its support level in the polls under his leadership.