Center-left alliance narrowly wins election in Sweden, Prime Minister Kristersson resigns

In Sweden, the left-wing opposition narrowly won Sunday's parliamentary election. The camp around opposition leader Magdalena Andersson from the Social Democrats secured 176 of the 349 seats in parliament, as the Swedish electoral authority announced on Thursday after all votes were counted. The ruling right-wing bloc, which also includes the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats, won 173 seats. The result still needs to be formally confirmed in the coming days. This paves the way for a change of government. Acting Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has already announced his resignation. Andersson has already served as Prime Minister once, from November 2021 to October she was the first woman to hold this office in Sweden - before Kristersson won the election in October 2022.

The success of the opposition alliance ends the shift to the right of the past four years, in which Sweden significantly tightened its previously liberal migration policy. "If this result is confirmed, Sweden will have a new government," Andersson told supporters on Sunday evening. However, forming a government is likely to be difficult. Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen said on Swedish television that this could be a complicated process. Although Andersson is likely to lead the government, the exact composition of the coalition is unclear. The Center Party rejects cooperation with the Left Party, while the Left Party insists on participating in the government.

In economic policy, Andersson is aiming for higher spending on the welfare state. While the Greens and the Left are also calling for greater taxation of wealth, the Center Party rejects this. When it comes to migration policy, Andersson wants to stick to the restrictive course regardless of the demands of her potential partners. However, the election is unlikely to change the country's pro-Western and pro-Ukrainian orientation.