Swedes will vote today (Sunday) in an election that would either bring a far-right party into government for the first time, or return the country to the path of liberalism for which it has long been famous.
Several opinion polls conducted last week indicate that the center-left Swedish opposition is narrowly ahead of the ruling right-wing bloc before the parliamentary elections scheduled for today (Sunday), which indicates the possibility of a change in the government, according to Reuters news agency.
But Prime Minister Ulf Kristjersson, who had trailed in opinion polls throughout his four years in office, began to close the gap in the last few weeks of the election campaign, while his rival Magdalena Andersson and her Social Democratic Party fell behind.
Supporters of the right-wing bloc say that its policies have helped curb gang violence and significantly reduce immigration, and that a victory would be a form of popular support for this approach and more similar measures in the coming years.
“We can unite parties, voters and issues in a common framework,” Kristjersson, who has pledged to bring the far-right Sweden Democrats into government if his bloc wins, told reporters in parliament this week. "That's why we get things done."
Critics argue that this agenda undermines civil liberties, while forcing immigrants to conform more closely to Swedish cultural norms or leave the country under the burden of a “carrot and stick” policy.
Voting centers open their doors at eight in the morning (06:00 GMT), and preliminary results are scheduled to appear immediately after they close at 18:00 GMT.
The Sweden Democrats' electoral success will be welcomed by Europe's rising far-right parties, boosted by a major victory for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party in German state elections this month.
The right has already agreed to form a four-party government led by Kristerson if he wins, while Anderson's path to power appears more ambiguous.
The Chilean authorities announced, on Saturday, that a fire broke out in a nursing home, resulting in the death of 16 elderly people and the others were transferred to the hospital.
The fire broke out on Friday night in the one-story care home in the Araucania region, 640 kilometers south of the capital, Santiago, and was brought under control and extinguished early Saturday.
Pictures circulated on social media showed huge flames rising above the building at night, while a fire truck was trying to put out the fire.
On his account on the “X” platform, Chilean President José Antonio Caste called for revealing the truth and “making the necessary corrections and making every effort to prevent the recurrence of such a tragedy.”
He also indicated that he had issued orders to take “urgent measures” to review the conditions of nursing homes across the country.
The municipality of Petrovkoen expressed in a statement “our sadness and deep regret over the death of 16 elderly people in this tragedy.”
The statement explained that the home housed 26 elderly people, ten of whom survived and were taken to a local hospital.
On Saturday, firefighters continued to remove debris and the collapsed metal roof, while police imposed a security cordon around the site to ensure safety.
The causes of the fire are still unclear.
Jorge Granada, the public prosecutor in charge of the case, told local media, “We are currently conducting investigation procedures that include inspection of the site and interrogations to determine the source and cause of the fire, as well as to rule out the possibility of the involvement of external parties.”
The owners of the private care home were summoned to give statements.
An official at the Regional General Secretariat of Health stated that the care home had previously suffered from operational problems.
“It was a facility that did not comply with the laws and had faced administrative measures and fines since 2019, and its violations were repeated,” Jose Bravo said.
“In February, the municipality sent a letter specifically requesting an inspection because the facility was not in compliance with the laws,” Mayor Jacqueline Romero told local media networks.
Ukrainian media quoted Kirilo Budanov, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, as saying on Saturday that Kiev is preparing to resume tripartite talks in October with the aim of reaching a settlement to the war with Russia that has been going on for more than four and a half years.
Budanov added to reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Kiev that Ukraine is preparing for the possibility of holding new talks that include Russia and the United States.
“We are preparing in October,” Budanov was quoted as saying.
Earlier today, US Special Envoy Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, expressed his hope to announce “in the next two weeks” the “next steps” in the talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Kushner visited Moscow and Kiev last week, accompanied by a businessman close to Trump and his envoy Steve Witkoff, in an attempt to revive the talks led by Washington aimed at ending a war that has been going on for more than four years in Ukraine.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine turned into the worst conflict Europe has witnessed since World War II, leaving hundreds of thousands dead.
Kushner's statements were made on Friday via video during his participation in the "Yalta Forum for European Strategy" in Kiev, but his intervention was prohibited from being published before Saturday.
Kushner said: “I really hope that in the next two weeks we will be able to announce what the next steps are,” adding: “I hope that this will contribute to paving the way forward.”
He referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin's "commitment" to "finding a way forward," which sparked laughter in the hall where the forum is being held in Kiev.
The two American envoys met with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Witkoff and Kushner expressed optimism but did not announce any breakthrough in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict that erupted in 2022 when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.
“These are very complex problems,” Kushner said, noting that work is continuing “to move forward.”
He continued: “I think that communication with both parties was very constructive and very positive.”
Last year, several negotiating rounds were held, which only led to the exchange of prisoners of war.
There has been no change in the positions of Moscow and Kiev, with the Kremlin repeatedly expressing its intention to seize the rest of Ukrainian territory.
In Kiev, the two American envoys talked about making progress in the talks, and touched on the possibility of holding tripartite talks.
When asked whether he would return with Witkov to Kiev, Kushner said: “We will return when there is something to talk about, and when the need arises.”
He described his visit to Ukraine as “very special,” noting the country’s “ability to withstand.”
He continued: “During the past year, I had a good opportunity to communicate with a large number of Ukrainians and many Ukrainian and European leaders,” and added: “I believe that we are very well aware of the magnitude of the exceptional achievement that Ukraine has achieved. But it was achieved at a high price.”
Kushner praised the three-day ceasefire announced during the talks.
Putin announced a cessation of strikes on Kiev for three days, coinciding with the talks, while Zelensky announced a cessation of attacks targeting Moscow. But hostilities continued in other regions of Ukraine and Russia.
“We are very happy that we were able to achieve a three-day ceasefire so that we could make the trip,” Kushner said. But we hope to turn this into something much longer-term and more permanent.”
