Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson Resigns Following Narrow Election Defeat

POLICY WIRE — Stockholm, Sweden — Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced his resignation on Thursday after a final vote count confirmed that his governing right-wing coalition lost its parliamentary majority in Sunday’s general election.

The Swedish Election Authority reported that the four-party left-leaning opposition secured 176 seats in the 349-member Riksdag. Meanwhile, the outgoing conservative-led government and its supporters managed to capture 173 seats.

Following the release of the official results, Kristersson submitted his resignation as head of government via a letter addressed to the speaker of the parliament, which he subsequently shared on X.

Former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and her Social Democrats emerged as the largest single party, securing 99 seats. Despite this lead, the party saw a decline of eight seats compared to their 2022 performance, and Andersson now faces the complex challenge of navigating internal ideological tensions to form a stable government.

The final outcome remained uncertain until election officials processed outstanding ballots, including those cast by overseas voters that had not reached polling stations by Election Day.

Kristersson’s administration had relied on a three-party, center-right coalition supported by the Sweden Democrats. While the anti-immigration party has moved toward the political mainstream, they suffered a disappointing result, falling to third place with 62 seats—a loss of 11 seats from four years ago.

Andersson must now bridge significant gaps within her own bloc. The Center Party, which joined the left to oppose the Sweden Democrats, remains resistant to forming a government that includes the Left Party.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)