Swedes vote in election that could usher far right into government
- On Sunday, September 13, 2026, roughly 8 million eligible voters began casting ballots for the 349-seat Riksdag in a razor-tight election where Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson challenges Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson as the far-right Sweden Democrats seek government entry for the first time.
- Since 2022, the Sweden Democrats have propped up Kristersson's minority government while gaining influence over immigration and crime policy; party leader Jimmie Akesson secured an invitation to join a prospective four-party coalition earlier this year.
- Tactical voting boosted the Liberal Party from 1.9% in August to 5.8% in final polls, a reversal critical for Kristersson and Akesson to secure a parliamentary majority and avoid wasted votes.
- A right-wing victory would allow Akesson to claim cabinet posts for the first time, dismantling the political "firewall" that has historically kept the Sweden Democrats from formal government power.
- Electoral success for the Sweden Democrats would align with broader European trends, including a recent win by Germany's anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany in Saxony-Anhalt, potentially accelerating normalization of far-right parties across the continent.
363 Articles
363 Articles
Sweden Election on Knife Edge as Migrant Vote Could Deliver Left Bloc Victory
Sweden’s parliamentary election remained too close to call late Sunday, with the two blocs effectively tied at around 49.2 per cent as counting moved deeper into the night. SVT projected a 175–174 left-wing opposition bloc majority against the Tidö-coalition, while its exit poll showed voters of non-European background leaning heavily left—an imbalance that could matter greatly in a race this close.
Amidst the official vote count, Swedish public television projected that the centre-left bloc, led by the Social Democrats, would add 175 seats in the Riksdag, against the 174 of the right-wing coalition.
A voting envelope is deposited in an ballot box in an electoral section in Malmö Prefecture, Sweden, on Sunday (13). Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP The opposition of the centre-left in Sweden, led by former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and her Social Democratic Party, walks to win the general elections this Sunday (13), according to polls from the ballot box. The surveys also suggest a loss of power from the extreme right after a tigh…
SVT's polling station survey, from the beginning of the evening, pointed to a relatively comfortable lead for the red-green bloc. But when the figures from the channel's new measurement method were presented, the picture changed. When half of the districts are counted, only one mandate separates the blocs.
The Swedish parliamentary election becomes a tremor: after the first poll, Red-Green was still clearly ahead, but now, according to the new SVT forecast, the two camps only separate one mandate. The outcome of the election is thus completely open.
It is completely even between the blocs in SVT's election forecast. – It is heartbreaking, says election researcher Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson. S looks to be heading towards its worst parliamentary election in modern times, according to the forecast. SD, at the same time, looks to be backing down for the first time in a parliamentary election.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 35% of the sources lean Left
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