Lucrezia Ciotti The results of the Swedish election are not yet final, but the count shows a neck-and-neck race between the center-left and center-right. Magdalena Andersson's Social Democrats remain ahead, while the nationalist Sweden Democrats have seen a decline compared to the previous election.
Swedish elections: Social Democrats lead, but center-right remains a step behind
Sweden's legislative elections are heading towards an extremely uncertain outcome, with the center-left Social Democrats, led by Magdalena Andersson, narrowly ahead of the coalition supporting the outgoing government. When polls closed, exit polls by public broadcaster SVT put the Social Democrats on 27,6% of the vote , ahead of Ulf Kristersson's Moderates , who were credited with 20%.
Jimmie Akesson's Sweden Democrats lagged further behind , holding steady at 17,5% , about 3,3 points lower than in the previous general election. This result was below expectations, considering that polls in recent weeks had placed them close to 19% and potentially ahead of the other center-right parties.
Initial results attributed 51,3% to the progressive bloc , but as the count progressed the gap gradually narrowed.
An initial projection by SVT , based on results from 1.054 of the 6.312 electoral districts, assigned 175 seats to the center-left and 174 to the center-right . With around 75% of the votes counted, the picture has since changed slightly: the progressive front is around 49,4% , against around 49,2% for the opposing camp, with a possible distribution of 176 seats to 173. These numbers are still provisional, but sufficient to keep alive the possibility of a return to government by the Social Democrats, historically a key player in Swedish politics.
Swedish elections: Andersson claims lead, Kristersson awaits final results
Faced with a still-evolving scenario, Magdalena Andersson reasserted her party's leadership and said she was ready to lead the country again . Addressing supporters, the former prime minister declared: " We Social Democrats will always be ready to assume our responsibilities. For now, we are in the lead. And if this is confirmed, then Sweden will have a new government ." Andersson also emphasized the need to find common ground between the various political forces: " Regardless of the final outcome, this is a sign that we must seek to collaborate ."
Outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was more cautious , saying, " We don't have a definitive result yet. The question of which government will lead Sweden in the coming years remains open ." The clearest data to emerge so far concerns the downsizing of the Sweden Democrats , who in recent years have supported the conservative government from the outside and aimed to gain an even more influential role in the event of a right-wing victory. Akesson acknowledged the loss of consensus, but emphasized the party's influence in public debate: " It's clear that we've lost a few percentage points compared to the result of four years ago , but I feel like we've won this election campaign because many more people in our country no longer find it embarrassing to say they're Sweden Democrats ."
Security and immigration played a central role during the election campaign , alongside concerns about the economy, the future of welfare , climate policies, and the use of nuclear energy . Differences remain within the center-left bloc itself over reforms, taxation, and the energy transition, making it difficult to build a stable majority even in the event of a victory.