Swedish election: leftist opposition wins by razor-thin margin
Sweden's leftist opposition, led by the Social Democrats, has taken a narrow lead over the ruling center-right coalition in parliamentary elections, though final results are still pending.
Sweden's general parliamentary election over the weekend exposed a deep split among voters. With 95% of votes counted, the opposition bloc is projected to win 176 seats in the next parliament against 173 for the current center-right coalition — a margin of just three seats.
Incumbent Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, leader of the center-right Moderate Coalition Party, argued on election night that his rivals had failed to secure a majority, noting that the three left-leaning parties had again fallen short of a parliamentary majority. Magdalena Andersson, leader of the largest opposition party, the Social Democratic Workers' Party, urged caution until final results were in, while affirming her party's readiness to take responsibility for forming a government.
Ahead of the vote, ABBA co-founder Benny Andersson appeared at the party's headquarters to rally supporters, adding an emotional boost to the campaign's final hours.
Right-wing party loses ground
The Sweden Democrats — a party some describe as far-right, to which Kristersson had promised government positions in the event of victory — won around 17% of the vote this time, down from 20% four years ago. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson nevertheless described the result as a win, saying more people across the country now openly identify as supporters of the party.
Final results, including votes cast by Swedes abroad, are due to be announced on Wednesday. Given the razor-thin margin, forming a new government will not be straightforward for the Social Democrats — Nicholas Aylott, an associate professor at Södertörn University, predicted a long and difficult negotiation process that could stretch on for weeks.
