Sweden’s centre-left opposition holds narrow lead in election count

Stockholm, Sweden. Sweden’s centre-left opposition held a narrow lead in the national election count early on Monday, with the Social Democrats-led bloc projected to win 176 seats in the 349-member Riksdag.

The right-wing governing alliance led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was projected to secure 173 seats, with counting still under way and final results not expected before Wednesday.

Close parliamentary race

Based on votes counted in 6,195 of Sweden’s 6,312 election districts, the election authority said the left-leaning bloc led by Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson was expected to take a slim majority.

The closeness of the race means the outcome may remain uncertain for several days, pending the count of overseas ballots.

“It’s a very tight race, it’s going to be a very long night but I think the Social Democrats have done quite a good election,” Adonay Endrias Kidane, a doctor and Social Democrats supporter, said at the party’s post-election gathering in central Stockholm.

Migration policy in focus

The election is unlikely to alter Sweden’s pro-Western and pro-Ukraine stance, but it could determine whether Kristersson’s push for tougher migration policies continues or accelerates.

Before the election, Kristersson said he would bring the Sweden Democrats, a far-right party with roots in the neo-Nazi fringe, into government as part of an effort to form a majority-right coalition.

Supporters on the right said a victory would endorse policies they believe have helped curb gang violence and sharply reduce immigration.

However, some voters expressed concern over Kristersson’s proposed cooperation with the far right. Critics have also said his migration policies, which include incentives and penalties intended to encourage migrants to conform more closely to Swedish cultural norms or leave the country, undermine civil liberties.

Campaign trends

Kristersson had trailed in opinion polls during his four years in office but narrowed the gap in the final weeks of campaigning. Andersson and the Social Democrats lost ground over the same period.