Social Democrat Leader Magdalena Andersson is on course to become Sweden’s next prime minister as her left-wing bloc holds an unassailable lead over the right and far right with 99.9% of results declared. By 10.30 p.m. on Wednesday night, Andersson’s four-party grouping was three seats ahead of Ulf Kristersson’s alliance of the right and far-right parties in the race to control the 349-seat parliament. The Swedish Election Authority is set to confirm the “preliminary” result when all the votes have finished being counted, expected on Thursday.
The election is one of the closest in recent Swedish history, and offered voters a sharp choice between electing a new left-wing government or allowing far-right ministers into power for the first time. Swedish public broadcaster SVT called the election for Andersson’s side on Wednesday night. Her Social Democrats are Sweden’s biggest party and have enjoyed the loose support of three other opposition parties who are seen as her likely coalition partners: The Greens, the Center Party, and the Left Party.
Kristersson’s conservative Moderates have been campaigning alongside the Christian Democrats, the Liberals and the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats. His allies do not expect him to concede defeat until Andersson wins a vote in parliament to prove she can command a majority. That vote won’t happen before Sept. 29 at the earliest.
Coalition negotiations will begin in earnest once the final outcome is confirmed. In theory any combination of parties can form into a government but in reality, the two-bloc system is likely to hold, meaning Andersson will seek to govern with some or all of her left-leaning partner parties.
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