Sweden's Center-Left Bloc Holds Narrow Lead as Coalition Talks Begin

Sweden's political parties launched coalition negotiations Monday as Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson began the process of trying to form a new government.

With 95% of votes counted, the Social Democrats and the center-left bloc held a narrow but growing lead of 176 seats to the right-leaning parties’ 173 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag parliament. A majority requires 175 seats. Approximately 200,000 votes, including overseas and early votes, are still to be counted by Wednesday, with only 28,000 votes separating the two blocs.

Both Andersson and outgoing center-right Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of the Moderates have expressed intentions to explore coalition options. The far-right Sweden Democrats, who hoped to enter government for the first time, appear to be out of the picture, with preliminary results showing they won 17.6 percent of the vote, lower than their share four years ago.

The election campaign was dominated by issues such as public school policy, immigration, integration, and crime punishment. Sweden recently joined NATO in 2024, abandoning its longstanding policy of neutrality. The current right-wing coalition, which came to power in 2022, implemented tough asylum regulations. Kristersson's government has provided almost $16 billion in military and other assistance to Ukraine.

Questions remain about the center-left bloc's willingness to work with the Left party (Vänsterpartiet), which the Centre party has previously ruled out. The Left Party refuses to support a government in which it does not have ministers, while the Centre Party refuses to support a government that includes the Left Party. Kristersson did not rule out trying to attract some of Andersson's current allies, particularly the Center party, to his side. He warned that if all parties adhere to their red lines, Sweden will not have a government.