A Swedish TV station refused to broadcast a campaign advert by a far-right political party because it contained racial hatred.

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The advert by the Swedish Democrats, a far-right party that could become a kingmaker after tight September 19 legislative elections, showing a race between an elderly woman and several women in burqas pushing prams with a slogan promising to safeguard pension funding at the expense of immigration.

"We decided not to broadcast it," Gunnar Gidefeldt, communications director for TV4, told AFP.

Swedish law on freedom of expression prohibits messages that contain hate grounded on race and religion, said Gidefeldt. "In this case, it is against religion," he said.

According to an August 20 survey, a month ahead of voting, the Swedish Democrats were polling at 3.6 percent of the vote, just shy of the minimum of 4 percent that is required to enter parliament.

If they can reach this threshold for the first time, political analysts believe the party could be in a powerful position with the two main blocs on course to split the vote.