Sweden: Forecast Shows Centre-Left Opposition Winning Parliamentary Election

According to a forecast by public broadcaster SVT, the opposition centre-left parties have at least a 99.9% probability of securing a majority of votes — and thus victory — in Sweden's parliamentary election. However, the final results are not expected to be announced until Thursday.

The broadcaster notes that counting is still underway for early and delayed ballots, as well as votes cast abroad. Results from several cities have also yet to be tallied, including major centres such as Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö — cities whose residents traditionally lean more toward left-wing parties.

A Razor-Thin Race

Given how extremely close the vote has been, it has so far been impossible to declare a clear winner. As of Wednesday evening, the balance between the opposition and the governing bloc was fluctuating between 176 seats to 173 and 175 to 174.

The election has turned into a showdown between the bloc led by conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the left-wing bloc headed by Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson.

The new prime minister, who will be tasked with negotiating the formation of a government, will not be appointed by parliament before 29 September at the earliest. For comparison, forming a government took 37 days after the 2022 election — and a full 134 days after the 2018 election.

Source: novinky.cz