Swedish left-wing bloc edges ahead in knife-edge election results
Por Stuti Mishra — – World RSS Feed
Swedish left-wing bloc edges ahead in knife-edge election results
Final results are not expected before Wednesday, when local election boards count postal votes that arrived too late for polling day, along with ballots cast from abroad
Stuti Mishra Monday 14 September 2026 07:30 BST
- Bookmark
- Comments Go to comments
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks
Close popover
open image in galleryYour support helps us to tell the story
Read more Support Now
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference. Read more
Sweden‘s centre-left opposition has edged ahead of the ruling right-wing government in a knife-edge general election, with days of uncertainty expected before a final result is confirmed.
The left-leaning bloc, led by Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson, was projected to win 176 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag, based on votes counted from 6,195 of Sweden’s 6,312 electoral districts, the country’s election authority said.
The right-wing governing bloc of prime minister Ulf Kristersson trailed with 173 seats, separated by roughly 20,000 votes, with around 94 per cent of the vote counted on Monday morning.
Exit polls from public broadcaster SVT had initially shown the left-wing parties ahead by several percentage points, prompting jubilation at the Social Democrats’ election night gathering in Stockholm, though the mood shifted to quiet waiting as the closer preliminary results came in.
Sweden elects its parliament through a proportional representation system, with parties needing at least 4 per cent of the vote to win seats. More than 8 million of the country’s roughly 10.6 million people were eligible to vote.
The country’s political landscape is split between two four-party blocs, on the left and the right, meaning the outcome hinges less on any single party’s result and more on which side can assemble a majority.
Final results are not expected before Wednesday, when local election boards count postal votes that arrived too late for polling day, along with ballots cast from abroad.
open image in gallerySpeaking early on Monday, Mr Kristersson said the outcome remained genuinely uncertain, though he pointed to what he described as a broader ideological majority in parliament.
“There is a very clear non-socialist majority, or non-left leaning economic majority in the Swedish parliament,” he said.
“When we have the final result it’s a good idea to look at possible combinations. I will actually take note of that and at least figure out whether there are any possibilities.”
No major media outlet had called the result. Ms Andersson urged her own supporters to wait for the final count.
“We must wait for the final election result,” she said. “Right now we are leading, but we have to wait for the final result.”
open image in galleryMr Kristersson has governed Sweden since 2022 at the head of a three-party centre-right coalition, relying on outside support from the Sweden Democrats, a party with far-right roots that has moved toward the political mainstream, to secure a parliamentary majority.
The Sweden Democrats had been promised cabinet posts this time had the governing coalition been returned to office. In a break from a longstanding taboo, Mr Kristersson pledged before the vote to bring the party directly into government as he seeks to build a majority right-wing coalition. Since taking office, his government has abolished permanent residency for refugees, tightened welfare rules and stepped up expulsions of people without the right to remain in the country.
open image in galleryMs Andersson, who served as prime minister from 2021 until losing power at the last election, would need to secure a coalition agreement with other parties to return to office, and her own bloc faces internal tensions of its own, with disagreements over migration policy, a proposed tax on billionaires and the construction of new nuclear reactors. Her Left Party and Centre Party partners, in particular, differ sharply on economic policy, which could complicate efforts to pass a budget even if her bloc secures a majority.
More about
SwedenJimmie AkessonSocial DemocratsSVTSwedish
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Most popular
Popular videos
Bulletin
Read next
Fonte: – World RSS Feed
