Sweden faces political uncertainty after election thriller

STOCKHOLM

Sweden's Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson speaks during the Social Democrats' election night party in Stockholm on September 13, 2026. (AFP Photo)

Sweden faced political uncertainty on Sept. 14 after an election thriller that saw the leftwing opposition holding a slim lead with votes still left to count.

Sept. 13’s election also served up a surprise setback to the far-right Sweden Democrats, who lost ground for the first time since entering parliament 16 years ago.

The leader of the left-wing opposition, Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats, and outgoing conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have each said they want to explore coalition options to secure power, but both would have to make major concessions to obtain a majority.

While the left-wing held a slim lead, the bloc was expected to face thorny negotiations to form a government, with the talks expected to drag on for several weeks.

Parliament can vote on a new prime minister on Sept. 29 at the earliest.

After the 2022 election, it took 37 days to form a government, much shorter than the 134 days it took to do so in 2018.

Political analyst Mats Knutson at public broadcaster SVT said both blocs were likely to end up in a “stalemate that paves the way for a long and troublesome process of forming a government, which could end in a snap election.”

“One or several parties may have to abandon their ‘red lines,’” he said.

With 95 percent of votes counted on Sept. 14, the four opposition parties held a three-seat majority in the 349-seat parliament over Prime Minister Kristersson’s right-wing alliance, which includes the anti-immigration far right.

But observers warned that those results could still change, with some votes only due to be counted as of tomorrow.