Sweden prime minister to resign as left-wing bloc seals narrow election win

Sweden’s centre-right prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, said he would resign after the left-leaning opposition secured a narrow majority in the general election. The Swedish Election Authority reported that the four parties on the left won 176 of the 349 seats in the Riksdag, compared with 173 seats for the parties that supported the outgoing conservative government. The margin between the two sides amounted to roughly 50,000 votes nationwide.

Kristersson posted a letter on social media platform X requesting to be relieved of his duties so that the speaker of parliament can begin the process of forming a new government. He also said on election night he would respect efforts by Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson to build a government and wished her well, noting the internal divisions she would face.

Andersson’s Social Democrats emerged as the largest single party, although they lost some support compared with the previous election. Forming a functioning government will require resolving tensions within the left-wing bloc, which includes the Social Democrats, the Left Party, the Greens and the Centre Party. The Centre Party has said it opposes any cabinet that includes ministers from the Left Party, while the Left Party has insisted on receiving a ministerial post. Andersson has said she will not include the Left Party in government but seeks their parliamentary backing.

Parliament may hold a vote on a new prime minister as early as September 29. International reaction included praise from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who framed the result as a victory for social-democratic policies and the welfare state. Separately, the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats saw their support fall to 17.5% of the vote, a decline of three percentage points from 2022.