Polling stations open in Sweden for decisive legislative elections amid intense competition

Polling stations in Sweden opened their doors on Sunday morning (September 13, 2026) to eight million eligible voters (out of a total population of 10.6 million), in elections that will decide the country’s political path between the rise of the populist right or a return to the liberal approach for which Sweden has been famous for decades.

The winner of this election is still unclear. Recent opinion polls have reinforced the state of uncertainty, especially as they are characterized by intense competition between the center-left bloc led by Democrat Magdalena Andersson, who briefly assumed the presidency of the government between 2021 and 2022, and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersjon, who seeks to remain in power through his right-wing coalition supported by the populist right.

Alliance with the populist right

Ulf Kristersson, the conservative Prime Minister, hinted during his election campaign about his intention to ally with the populist right if he wins, proposing an alliance of four parties, including the Sweden Democrats, which is affiliated with the populist right.

Christerson currently leads a minority government that includes his center-right "Moderates" party, the Christian Democrats, and the liberals.

If this is achieved, it will constitute great moral support for right-wing populist parties in Europe, especially in Germany after the victory of the Alternative Party in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, a party that the Constitutional Protection Service classifies some of its regional branches as “confirmed right-wing extremists.” Meanwhile, the Alternative for Germany party collides with what is called the “firewall,” which is the “political firewall” adopted by the centrist parties in Germany, through which they express their rejection of any cooperation with the Alternative Party or the formation of coalitions with it.