Sweden election too close to call

STOCKHOLM (AFP) — Sweden’s general election remained too close to call early Monday, with the left-wing opposition holding a narrow lead as the far-right Sweden Democrats lost ground.

With more than 90 percent of votes counted, four opposition parties led by Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson held a three-seat advantage in the 349-seat parliament over Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing bloc.

“For now, we are in the lead. And if that is confirmed, Sweden will have a new government,” Andersson said.

Her Social Democrats remained Sweden’s largest party with about 28 percent of the vote, though the result would be its worst in more than a century.

Kristersson’s Moderate Party received about 19.9 percent. He said he would respect Andersson’s attempt to form a government if the result holds but argued that divisions among the four opposition parties could make governing difficult.

“Which government is going to govern Sweden in the coming years is still an open question,” Kristersson said.

The Sweden Democrats suffered a surprise setback, receiving 17.6 percent of the vote, down from 20.6 percent in 2022. It marked the anti-immigration party’s first decline in support since entering parliament in 2010.

“We don’t yet have the full election result, but it’s obvious that we’ve lost a few percentage points compared with our result four years ago,” party leader Jimmie Akesson said.

A final outcome could take several days. Remaining ballots will begin to be counted Wednesday, followed by an automatic recount to establish the final result.

The election campaign focused heavily on health care, rising living costs, crime and immigration.