Kristersson Steps Down as Swedish Right-Wing Bloc Loses Tight Election

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has resigned after his right-wing coalition was narrowly defeated by the centre-left opposition in the general election.

He made the announcement on Thursday afternoon, after preliminary results from Sunday’s vote showed approximately 50,000 votes separating the two blocs in a country of roughly 10 million people.

Opposition parties led by Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats appear set to win 176 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament.

Kristersson, a conservative, had governed with the support of the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats (SD) and had promised them cabinet positions in the event of victory.

His right-wing bloc looks set to win 173 seats in the Riksdag, according to data from the Swedish Election Authority.

The results will be subject to formal certification in the coming days and are expected to be finalized this weekend.

Sweden has two major political blocs—four parties on the right and four on the left—making coalition and minority governments common.

After a prime minister resigns, the Speaker of the Riksdag holds talks with all parties to propose a candidate for the next leader, which is then voted on by MPs.

“Now it is the speaker who will lead the next stage of the way to a new government. I am herewith requesting that I be relieved of the office of prime minister to allow that work to start immediately,” Kristersson’s statement read.

In a speech posted on Instagram, Andersson said: “The Swedish people have voted for a new direction for our country”.

The Social Democrats have regularly led Swedish governments since World War Two and have been the country’s dominant political force for much of the last century.

Its leader, Andersson, is expected to return to power after four years in opposition, and has initiated talks with the other opposition parties—the Left Party, the Centre Party, and the Green Party—about forming a government.

However, discussions could drag on due to major differences between the parties on issues such as taxes.

After the 2022 election in Sweden, it took 37 days to form a government, while in 2018 it took 134 days.

In his resignation, Kristersson said the opposition faced “complicated” conditions for forming the next government, “because the parties’ various statements before election day could pose obstacles”.

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