Is left-leaning Sweden going to be ruled by a right-wing government?

Political analysts have said the vote is one of the closest in modern times in the country and will mean that a party with nationalist immigration policies will likely be part of the country’s government for the first time.

Sweden's Social Democratic Worker's Party still returned the largest vote share (30.3%), but the prime minister and party leader Magdalena Andersson resigned after her centre-left coalition narrowly lost the election to four right-wing parties.

Sweden was one of the 10 independent countries used by the Scottish Government as a comparison in its first independence white paper. 

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How do Swedish elections work?

There are 349 members in Sweden’s parliament who are elected by the public every four years on the second Sunday in September.

There are approximately 7 million eligible voters over the age of 18, who choose their representatives for the Riksdag, county councils and municipalities.

In the Riksdag, parties work together in blocs along political lines and seats are allocated amongst the political parties in proportion to the votes cast for them across the country.

There is one exception to this rule – a party must gain at least 4% of all votes to gain representation. This is intended to prevent very small fringe parties from getting in. For a parliamentary majority, a bloc must gain 175 seats.

How did the centre-left bloc lose the election?

With 99% of votes counted – the centre-left bloc had won only 173 seats in the parliament, while right-wing parties returned 176, giving them a slim majority.

The biggest development of the results was the surge in support for the Sweden Democrats, who have previously been considered extremists, but emerged as the second-most popular party in the country.

An agreement was struck during the election campaign that right-wing parties would support a government led by the centre-right Moderate Party, not by the Sweden Democrats.

Ulf Kristersson, the leader of Sweden’s third largest party, the Moderates, is the leading figure on the Swedish right and is likely to be the next prime minister. The Christian Democrats and Liberal parties are also part of the right-wing bloc.

The Sweden Democrats ran on a ticket to “make Sweden safe again” by bringing in longer prison sentences and restricting immigration.

The party was established in the 1980s and grew out of a neo-Nazi movement, which has slowly grown stronger whilst attempting to polish its image.

They won around 20% of the vote. Andersson’s party has governed Sweden since 2014 but has dominated the political landscape since the 1930s.

Boris Johnson is welcomed by Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson in Harpsund, the country retreat of Swedish prime ministers, to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine in May 2022 (Image: PA)

What has Magdalena Andersson said after the result?

Andersson resigned shortly after the results were announced. She said: “The four right-wing parties appear to have received just under 50% of the votes in the election, and in the Riksdag, they have gained one or two mandates. A thin majority, but it is a majority,”

“Tomorrow I will therefore request my dismissal as prime minister and the responsibility for the continued process will now pass to the parliament speaker and the Riksdag.”

She told reporters on Wednesday that she understood those concerned about the party's growing popularity.

"I see your concern and I share it," Andersson said.

What have the right-wing parties said?

Writing on Facebook, Moderates leader Kristersson said: “Now we will get Sweden in order.

“The Moderates and the other parties on my side have received the mandate for the change that we asked for. I am now starting the work of forming a new, effective government.”

Populist Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson said his party would be a “constructive and driving force” in rebuilding safety in Sweden.

In his speech on Wednesday evening, Akesson said it was time for a new chapter in Sweden.

He said: “Now it will be enough with the failed Social Democratic policy that for eight years has continued to lead the country in the wrong direction.

“It is time to start rebuilding security, welfare and cohesion. It is time to put Sweden first. The Sweden Democrats will be a constructive and driving force in this work.

“Now the work begins to make Sweden good again."

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What happens next?

After the ballots are recounted, which is standard practice during Swedish elections, the speaker of the parliament will propose a prime minister, who the parliament then votes on.

The new government is expected to be led by Kristersson but will be on shaky ground. The Moderates and Sweden Democrats will likely clash over several policies, including welfare benefits.

Moderates are looking to bring in bigger cuts than their partners want.