In Sweden's parliamentary elections, the ruling right-wing bloc led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson won 173 seats in the Riksdag. The opposition left-wing bloc, led by Magdalena Andersson, received 176 seats. The difference was just three mandates out of 349.
The vote count ended on 17 September 2026. The gap between the blocs turned out to be minimal — about 50 thousand votes in a country with a population of 10,6 million people. Andersson's Social Democrats became the largest party, winning 99 seats.
Immediately after the results were announced, Kristersson published a letter on the platform X. He asked the Speaker of the Riksdag to relieve him of the post of prime minister so that the process of forming a new government could begin without delay.
Now the Speaker of Parliament will hold consultations with all parties and propose a candidate for the post of head of government. A vote in the Riksdag will determine who will lead the country.
Andersson, who had already served as prime minister until 2022, hopes to return to power. However, the left-wing bloc consists of four parties with different views, and the coalition negotiations promise to be difficult.
The right-wing bloc included Kristersson's Moderates, the Christian Democrats, the Liberals, and the Sweden Democrats who supported them. The latter lost ground compared with the previous election.
Will the new composition of the Riksdag be able to quickly overcome its differences and form a stable government?
Official confirmation of the results is expected in the coming days, but the preliminary outcome has already determined Sweden's political course for the next four years.
