Sweden’s centre-left set for narrow election win

World electionssweden Sweden’s centre-left set for narrow election win Sweden's Centre Left Set For Narrow Election Win Relevant News Sweden’s centre-left set for narrow election win 14 September 2026 Fire breaks out in Latsi, “Astrapi” plan activated, air support requested 14 September 2026 Gulf states scrap Iran talks as Houthis strike Saudi Arabia 14 September 2026 Newsroom 14 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Sweden’s centre-left opposition looked set on Monday to form the next government, Reuters reported, with preliminary results projecting a narrow three-seat lead over the ruling right-wing parties as most votes were counted following Sunday’s election. An opposition victory would halt a rightward shift over the past four years that has turned Sweden from one of Europe’s most welcoming countries for immigrants into one of its toughest asylum regimes. Analysts say a centre-left government would likely take a softer line but is unlikely to return to the generous, open-door immigration policies of past decades. It would also maintain Sweden’s pro-Western and pro-Ukraine stance. Parties backing Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson were projected to win 176 seats in the 349-seat parliament, while Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing bloc was projected to win 173, the election authority said. “If this result remains valid, Sweden will get a new government,” Andersson told supporters on Sunday night. Party leaders have been cautious about claiming victory or conceding defeat, with 353 election districts still to be counted and overseas votes not expected to be tallied until Wednesday. In 2022, exit polls initially gave the centre-left a narrow lead that proved premature, and Kristersson showed no sign of conceding when he spoke after Sunday’s election. The two blocs were separated by around 0.4 per cent of the vote on Monday morning. Andersson has not yet said how she would unite a divided centre-left behind her in a coalition. “The most likely outcome is a government led by the Social Democrats,” said Niklas Bohlin, a political scientist at Mid Sweden University. “Exactly what that government will look like is far less certain.” Far-right loses ground The election pitted a fragmented centre-left against a united centre-right bloc that has overhauled Sweden’s immigration and criminal justice systems and had planned to bring the far-right Sweden Democrats into a coalition, a step too far for some voters. The Sweden Democrats, a party with roots in the neo-Nazi fringe, lost an estimated 11 seats, according to projections, the first time it has seen its vote share fall since entering parliament in 2010. If a centre-left win is confirmed, forming a government could take time. While Andersson would become prime minister, it remains unclear which other parties would join her government. The Centre Party has refused to share power with the Left Party, which says it must be part of any coalition. “It could very well be a complicated process to form a government,” the speaker of parliament, Andreas Norlen, told Swedish television. Andersson has promised voters more spending on welfare, a fairer tax system and a focus on social cohesion. However, while the Greens and the Left party want wealthier people to contribute more, the Centre Party opposes a billionaires’ tax. “As for migration policy, I do not think we should expect a return to the more generous approach Sweden once had,” Bohlin said. Andersson’s Social Democrats want to maintain Sweden’s tough stance on immigration, setting up a clash with the Left and Green parties, which want to ease the rules. Asylum numbers have dropped to a 40-year low under the current government, which has abolished permanent residency for refugees, tightened welfare rules and stepped up expulsions of people without the right to stay. (Reuters) Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Fire breaks out in Latsi, “Astrapi” plan activated, air support requested Gulf states scrap Iran talks as Houthis strike Saudi Arabia 52 years on, and Cyprus still doesn’t know where its dead are Reforms that count, not just hot air ‘Black van’ case: Deputy AG’s conflict claim could not have been probed, AG says A new chapter, an old divide Two young men seriously hurt in violent Limassol attack, five arrested Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.