Sweden

• The centre-left bloc secured a three-seat parliamentary majority over its opponents in preliminary election results released by the Swedish Election Authority. • The bloc holds 176 seats compared to 173 seats for the opposing side. • This narrow margin determines which political coalition will control the Swedish parliament and lead the government.

• Sweden's extreme right lost voter support in a recent weekend election for the first time in over 15 years. • Party leader Jimmie Akesson stated on election night that the party lost several percentage points compared to its results from four years ago. • This decline marks a shift for the party, which has now ceded its position as the second-largest political force in the Nordic country.

• Sweden's center-left political bloc currently leads in a close election against the incumbent right-wing government. • The outcome will determine if Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson can continue his policy of a hard-right clampdown on migration. • A victory for the center-left would halt the country's recent shift away from its liberal traditions.

• Non-citizen immigrants in Sweden are voting at low rates despite having the legal right to participate in local elections. • Supporters of these voting rights argue that migrants contribute to the country through taxes and are subject to the same local laws as national citizens. • Low turnout limits the ability of newcomers to integrate into society and reduces their influence over local council decisions that affect their communities.

Centre-left bloc led by Social Democrats has narrow lead with 95% of vote counted, but faces internal policy battleSweden’s political parties have launched coalition negotiations as the Social Democrats leader, Magdalena Andersson, started the long and difficult process of trying to form a new government.Full results from Sunday’s election are not expected until after overseas votes are counted on Wednesday, but with 95% of the votes counted, the Social Democrats and the centre-left bloc had a narrow but growing lead of 176 seats to the right-leaning parties’ 173. Continue reading...

The Sweden Democrats slipped to third after decades of growth, but their hardline positions have already reshaped the political mainstreamSwedish centre-left opposition widens lead to three seats with 95% of votes counted – liveSince the party was founded in 1988, the story of the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) has been one of such continuous growth that a triumph in Sunday’s general election seemed inevitable.In 2022, they capitalised on electoral gains – and the desperation of right-leaning parties to form a minority administration – and almost made their way into government. A supporting role in prime minister Ulf Kristersson’s Tidö coalition earned the party, which has neo-Nazi roots, huge influence and mainstream acceptance by the political establishment. Continue reading...

Country heads to the polls as latest polling shows 0.3-point gap between left and right wing blocsin StockholmHej, that’s hello in Swedish, from Stockholm, where I spent this morning eating Swedish pastry and meatballs talking to voters about the country’s prospects as they cast their votes in today’s parliamentary elections. Continue reading...