Sweden's general election remains undecided as of Monday morning, with the left-wing bloc leading by about 20,000 votes after processing more than 90% of ballots. The Social Democrats' Magdalena Andersson appears to have a three-seat majority over the right-wing coalition led by Ulf Kristersson. The final outcome hinges on Wednesday's vote count, which could include up to 220,000 additional votes, potentially altering the current narrow lead.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
- Published
Sweden's general election remains too close to call with the left-wing bloc marginally ahead as the vote count continues.
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count → publish → ?
With more than 90% of ballots processed early on Monday, the left-wing bloc was in front by approximately 20,000 votes.
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bloc → process → votes
Preliminary counts by Sweden's electoral authority projected the Social Democrats' Magdalena Andersson would likely finish with a three-seat majority over the rival four-party coalition led by current conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
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Andersson → project → Kristersson
Kristersson has been supported in government by the hard-right Sweden Democrats (SD), which have neo-Nazi roots.
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which → support → roots
He has promised cabinet jobs for the SD if he stays in charge.
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he → promise → charge
Early on Monday morning, Kristersson said it remained unclear who would form the next government.
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who → say → government
"The voters have had their say, but we still don't have a final result.
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we → have → result
Which government will lead Sweden in the coming years is still an open question," he told supporters.
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he → lead → supporters
No major media outlets have declared a winner yet.
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outlets → declare → winner
Sweden uses a mandate distribution voting system, a proportional representation method to elect "mandates", or "seats", in the Riksdag – the Swedish parliament.
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Sweden → use → Riksdag
A party needs at least 4% of the vote to enter parliament.
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party → need → parliament
With 95% of votes reported, the left-wing bloc led by the Social Democrats was ahead with 176 mandates compared to the right-wing bloc's 173.
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bloc → report → 173
Counting will continue on Wednesday before the final results determine which side has a clearer path to majority.
The counting restarts then to include early votes that were submitted late, as well as votes from abroad that did not arrive before election day.
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that → continue → day
It is not yet known how many votes will be counted on Wednesday, but back in 2022, more than 220,000 votes were included in the later count.
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votes → know → count
If the figures are similar this year, Wednesday's count could make the difference in the outcome, given that only about 28,000 votes currently separate the blocs.
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votes → make → blocs
Sweden has two major political blocs featuring four parties on the right and four on the left - meaning coalition and minority governments are relatively common.
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governments → have → left
On Sunday night, Andersson - the leader of the country's main opposition party - urged supporters to wait for the final result, but added that if the current results hold, "Sweden will have a new government."
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Sweden → urge → government
But SD - founded by Nazi sympathisers in the 1980s - had been shunned for years until 2022 when it became the country's second largest party after campaigning on violent crime and immigration.
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it → found → crime
Both Andersson's party and the far-right SD have lost support, according to early count results.
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party → lose → results
As of Monday morning, the Social Democrats were on track for their worst result in more than a century with 28 per cent, while the count showed the hard-right SD party was losing support for the first time since 2010 when it entered the Riksdag.
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it → show → Riksdag
Other parties comprising the left-wing bloc, including the Left Party, Greens and Centre Party have increased their support.
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parties → comprise → support
Turnout also dropped to approximately 80%, down four points compared to the 2022 poll.
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Turnout → drop → poll
After casting her vote on Sunday, Andersson laid out the choice facing the Swedish public: "Should we have a government entirely dominated by the Sweden Democrats, something that has never happened in Sweden before?
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that → cast → Sweden
Or should we have a government led by me, which will steer Sweden in a new spirit of co-operation?"
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which → have → operation
Kristersson, for his part, said it was important he and his alliance were able to continue their work.
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he → say → work
"I think there is a genuine enthusiasm for us being able to continue our important work," he said after casting his ballot in his home municipality of Strangnas.
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he → think → Strangnas
National security, gang crime and welfare spending dominated the election campaign.
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security → dominate → campaign
