Published: 11:17 AM, 19 September 2026
Swedish PM Kristersson to resign
Sweden's left-leaning opposition has secured a narrow majority in the country's parliament, prompting center-right Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to announce his resignation.
According to the Swedish Election Authority, the four opposition parties won 176 of the 349 seats in the Riksdag, while the four parties that make up or support the outgoing conservative-led government secured 173 seats in Sunday's election.
Following the announcement of the final results, Kristersson said in a letter to the parliament's speaker, posted on X, that he would step down as head of government.
The center-left Social Democrats, led by former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, emerged as the largest single party with 99 seats, despite losing eight seats compared with the 2022 election. Andersson now faces the challenge of forming a government amid differences within the opposition bloc.
The narrow opposition lead was confirmed after the counting of early votes that had not reached polling stations by election day, including ballots cast from abroad.
Kristersson has governed through a three-party center-right coalition that relied on support from the Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigration party with far-right roots that has moved closer to the political mainstream.
Before the election, Kristersson had indicated that the Sweden Democrats could be offered Cabinet positions if the governing coalition retained power. However, the Sweden Democrats suffered a setback, finishing third behind Kristersson's Moderates with 62 seats, 11 fewer than they won in the 2022 election.
Andersson will have to overcome differences among the opposition parties to form a government. The Center Party, which aligned with the left because it does not want to govern with the Sweden Democrats, has also ruled out joining a government with the Left Party.which occupies the opposite end of the political spectrum.
Any attempt to form a government involving parties from both sides of Sweden's traditional political divide would also face significant challenges.
