Elecciones en Suecia: resultado demasiado ajustado; el bloque de izquierda lleva ventaja mínima

Sweden's parliamentary election on Sunday produced no clear winner, with the left-wing opposition bloc holding a slim lead over the ruling right-wing coalition. With more than 90% of votes counted, the Social Democrats' Magdalena Andersson was projecting a three-seat majority in the Riksdag, but counting is far from over.

Blocs neck and neck

The left-wing bloc held 176 mandates compared to the right's 173 in preliminary results. Current Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, whose government has been supported by the hard-right Sweden Democrats (SD), said early Monday that "which government will lead Sweden in the coming years is still an open question." No major outlet declared a winner.

Social Democrats weaken, far-right loses ground for first time

The Social Democrats, Sweden's historically dominant party, appear to be heading for their worst result in more than a century, with approximately 28% of the vote. Meanwhile, the Sweden Democrats — founded by neo-Nazi sympathisers in the 1980s and now the second-largest party — are losing support for the first time since 2010. Other left-bloc parties, including the Left Party, Greens, and Centre Party, gained ground.

What happens next

Sweden uses proportional representation, and coalition governments are common. Final vote counting will resume on Wednesday, when late-submitted postal ballots and votes from abroad will be included. Only then will the path to a majority government become clear. Turnout dropped to approximately 80%, four points below the 2022 figure.