Sweden Votes in Tight Election as Far Right Eyes Government Role

Left-wing voters in Malmö expressed downbeat sentiments on Sunday morning, complaining about a dirty campaign and a lack of inspiring proposals from the Social Democrats.

Green Party campaigner Vera noted it looks like a tight race, believing disagreements among left-wing parties benefited the current government. Left Party campaigner Anders agreed it is a nailbiter, attributing bickering on the left to the Centre Party. Ebba, a voter in her early 20s, felt pirrig (butterflies in her stomach) and said so much at stake, hoping for a new left-wing government.

She was disappointed by unclear proposals on schools and healthcare from left-wing parties, but voted for the Left Party for consistently prioritizing people's wellbeing. Sweden held a general election on Sunday, September 13, 2026, with polling stations opening at 8 am local time. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson voted at 1 pm at Kulturhuset Multeum in Strängnäs, expressing a great sense of hope and calling it an extremely, extremely exciting evening.

Social Democrat challenger Magdalena Andersson voted in Nacka, criticizing the Tidö parties for a dirty campaign with a lot of lies, including the Sweden Democrats calling opponents traitors to the nation. She stated that elections are normally close-run and this one is will be too. The election is a high-stakes event that could see the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) enter government for the first time.

The right-leaning bloc, known as the Tidö parties (Moderates, Christian Democrats, Liberals, with SD support), has been in power for four years. This coalition broke a longstanding taboo in 2022 by partnering with SD, a party with neo-Nazi roots. The opposition left-leaning bloc consists of the Social Democrats, Centre Party, Green Party, and Left Party.

That’s why they get things done. Critics argue his government's agenda undermines civil liberties and forces immigrants to conform or leave. Andersson countered that Sweden has become a harder society, a quieter society, but also a poorer society, advocating for unity. The Sweden Democrats, who took 20.5% of the vote in 2022, are Sweden's second-biggest party.