Sweden's left-wing opposition wins slim majority in country's national election

Sweden’s left-leaning opposition won a narrow majority in the country’s national election, a complete vote count showed Thursday.

The Swedish Election Authority said that the four opposition parties won 176 seats in the 349-seat parliament in Stockholm, the Riksdag, in Sunday’s election. The four parties that make up or support the outgoing conservative-led government took 173 seats.

Former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s center-left Social Democrats finished as the biggest single party, despite losing some support. The result bolsters her hope of regaining the job she lost in 2022, but she will still face a complicated task to turn it into a government because of tensions within the left-leaning bloc.

The opposition’s small lead initially was uncertain but was confirmed after early votes that didn’t arrive at polling stations by Election Day, including overseas ballots, were counted.

Current Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has led Sweden with a three-party, centre-right coalition. The parliamentary majority relied on outside support from the Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigration party that has far-right roots but has moved towards the political mainstream. 

Kristersson had held out the prospect of Cabinet seats for the Sweden Democrats this time, if the governing coalition won.