Sweden's political blocs neck-and-neck after Sunday election, projections show
Projections following Sweden's parliamentary election on Sunday show the country's right-wing and left-wing blocs running roughly even. National security, gang crime and welfare spending dominated the campaign.
Early projections from Sweden's parliamentary election held on Sunday indicate that the country's two main political blocs — each made up of four parties, one on the right and one on the left — are running close to level, meaning a coalition or minority government is likely, a common outcome in Swedish politics.
The Social Democrats, led by Magdalena Andersson, have been a dominant force in the country's politics since the end of World War Two. Meanwhile, the Sweden Democrats (SD), a party founded by Nazi sympathisers in the 1980s, spent years on the political fringe before becoming the country's second-largest party in 2022 following a campaign focused on violent crime and immigration.
After casting her ballot on Sunday, Andersson framed the choice facing voters as being between a government entirely dominated by the Sweden Democrats — something that has never happened before in Sweden — or one led by her that would usher in a new era of cooperation.
Current Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, voting in his home municipality of Strängnäs, said he sensed genuine public enthusiasm for allowing his governing alliance to continue its work.
Throughout the campaign, national security, gang-related crime and welfare spending were the issues that dominated public debate. The final results and the shape of the next government are expected to become clearer once all votes have been counted.
