Sweden's PM Ulf Kristersson resigns after right‑wing bloc loses general election

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced his resignation on Thursday after preliminary results from Sunday’s general election showed the centre‑left bloc leading the right‑wing bloc.

According to the Swedish Election Authority’s counts, the opposition led by Magdalena Andersson is set to hold 176 seats in the 349‑seat Riksdag, while Kristersson’s right‑wing bloc is set to hold 173 seats. Preliminary tallies showed a margin of about 50,000 votes between the two blocs.

The results must be formally certified in the coming days and are expected to be finalised this weekend. Under Swedish procedure, the Speaker of the Riksdag will consult all parties and propose a candidate for prime minister following Kristersson’s resignation.

Kristersson had led a government supported by the Sweden Democrats (SD) and had promised them cabinet positions if his bloc won. SD, which entered parliament in 2010 and rose to become Sweden’s second‑largest party by 2022, lost support in this count — down three percentage points from 2022.

Magdalena Andersson posted on Instagram that the electorate had voted for “a new direction for our country.” Andersson has begun talks with The Left Party, The Centre Party and The Green Party about forming a government, but the parties differ on issues such as taxes and discussions could be protracted.

A preliminary vote count began after polls closed on Sunday evening; on Wednesday election committees started counting late early votes and ballots from abroad that did not arrive before election day.