Sweden's Kristersson resigns after centre-left wins slim election majority

Kristersson had promised the Sweden Democrats cabinet jobs if he won the election.

Andersson has initiated talks with the Left Party, the Centre Party and the Green Party about forming a government.

The parties have major differences on issues such as taxes.

After the 2022 election in Sweden, it took 37 days to form a government.

After the 2018 election it took 134 days to form a government.

The Sweden Democrats rebranded from the mid-2000s and in 2022 became Sweden's second-largest party on an immigration and violent-crime campaign.

The centre-right coalition had overseen a dramatic tightening of migration policy.

The left-wing opposition faces tough negotiations ahead to form a coalition government.

Andersson will face a complicated task forming a government because of ideological divisions in the left-leaning bloc.

The Social Democrats lost some support.

Andersson has ruled out a government that includes the Left Party, but wants their support in Sweden's parliament.

The Left Party has insisted on having a minister.

Parliament can vote on a new prime minister on September 29 at the earliest.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hailed the result.

Before the election, Kristersson had signalled he might be open to forming a government with the far right.

A government with the far right would have been a first for Sweden.

A minority government is also possible.

SVT showed the Social Democrats with 99 seats.

The Left Party won 30 seats.

The Centre Party won 25 seats.

The Greens won 22 seats.

The Moderates won 70 seats, according to SVT.

The Sweden Democrats won 62 seats.

The Christian Democrats won 22 seats.

The balance had shifted between 175-174 and 176-173 as the final districts reported.

Kristersson's government will remain in place in a caretaker capacity until a successor takes office.

The Liberals won 19 seats.

The result ends the parliamentary majority the Tidö parties held in the previous term.

The Moderates finished second with about 19.9 percent.

The Centre Party has opposed cooperation with the Sweden Democrats.

The new Riksdag is due to convene on 28 September, when members will elect a speaker.

Magdalena Andersson spoke during the Social Democrats' election night party in Stockholm on September 13, 2026.

If Andersson fails to form a government, Kristersson would be waiting to try to build his own majority.

SVT reported on Wednesday evening that the left parties had secured 175 of 349 Riksdag seats, one more than the right-wing coalition's 174.

Only 26,169 votes separated the two blocs as of Wednesday afternoon.

With fewer than 1 percent of districts left to count, parties led by Andersson were all but certain to win.

Sweden has been ruled by the right-wing governing bloc led by Ulf Kristersson since the last election in 2022.

The election authority said counting late ballots from home and overseas may go on until Thursday.

Individual parties need a minimum of 4 percent of the vote to win parliamentary seats.

More than 8 million people in the nation of about 10.6 million were eligible to vote.

The center-left won 49.5 percent of the vote, compared with 48.8 percent for the center-right.

Swedish nationalists had made big gains in recent elections by railing against migration and blaming migrants for crime.

Polls before the election showed that voters were prioritizing healthcare and education.

Turnout was 85 percent.

Parts of the coalition have already voiced doubts about working with each other.

The center-left includes a formerly communist party and a pro-business one influenced by farmers.

The Sweden Democrats went from second-most popular party to third.