Sweden’s centre-left opposition parties maintained a narrow lead over the incumbent centre-right government bloc on Wednesday as vote counting resumed following Sunday’s parliamentary election. As of 14:33 GMT, votes in 1.3% of electoral districts remained to be counted.
Current seat distribution
The opposition forces, led by Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson, currently hold 176 of the 349 seats in the Riksdag. The government bloc of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, which includes the Sweden Democrats, is set to receive 173 seats, according to data from the Swedish Election Authority.
Election officials are continuing to count late-arriving ballots, including those cast from abroad. According to authorities, this process could continue until Thursday. At the time of publication, the seat distribution remained unchanged from earlier in the week.
Potential election outcomes
According to Reuters, the election is unlikely to alter Sweden’s pro-Western and pro-Ukrainian stance, though it may determine whether the government of Ulf Kristersson continues or intensifies its push for stricter migration policies.
Ahead of the election, Ulf Kristersson stated his readiness to include the Sweden Democrats—a far-right party his political bloc has been cooperating with—in the government to form a centre-right majority coalition.
Many right-leaning voters have stated that a victory for their bloc would signal support for policies they believe have helped curb gang-related violence and significantly reduce immigration, Reuters notes.
Source: The Straits Times
