Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson Resigns Following Election Defeat
Ulf Kristersson announced his resignation after his right-wing bloc fell short in Sunday's election, prompting talks to form a new government led by the opposition.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson posted on X on Thursday that he would step down after preliminary results showed his centre-right coalition trailing the left-wing opposition by roughly 50,000 votes in a country of about 10 million people. The right-wing bloc, comprising the Moderates, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and Liberals, is projected to secure 173 seats in the Riksdag, according to the Swedish Election Authority, with final certification expected later this week.
In his resignation statement, Kristersson wrote, "Now it is the speaker who will lead the next stage of the way to a new government. I am herewith requesting that I be relieved of the office of prime minister to allow that work to start immediately." The Speaker of the Riksdag will now consult all parties to nominate a new prime minister candidate, who must be approved by parliament.
Opposition leader Magdalena Andersson has begun negotiations with the Left Party, the Centre Party and the Green Party to assemble a governing coalition, though differences over tax policy could prolong talks. Kristersson noted that the opposition faces "complicated" conditions for forming a government because of varied pre-election statements that may create obstacles.
The Sweden Democrats, which have grown to become the country's second-largest party since 2022 on an immigration-focused platform, had previously offered external support to Kristersson's coalition. The upcoming government formation process could take weeks, echoing past negotiations that lasted 37 days in 2022 and 134 days in 2018.