Swedish prime minister resigns after opposition coalition wins parliamentary majority

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed in his resignation to the speaker of parliament on Thursday following the final vote count for Sunday's election. The centre-left opposition, led by the Social Democrats under Magdalena Andersson, won 176 seats, edging out Kristersson's right-wing bloc, which obtained 173 seats, according to the election authority.

Andersson, who served as Sweden's first female prime minister from 2021 to 2025, said the result signals a shift in policy direction after four years of a hard line on immigration and crime. > "In recent times there are those who have not felt welcome in our country. To you, I want to say this: This is a new era now. That is what the Swedish people have voted for," she posted on the X platform.

Forming a new government may take time. The Centre Party has indicated it will not join a coalition that includes the Left Party, while the Green Party remains a possible partner in a left-of-centre administration. The Social Democrats have begun talks with other opposition parties, though details were not disclosed.

If Andersson cannot assemble a coalition, the right-wing bloc could seek to persuade the Centre Party to switch sides, a scenario analysts deem unlikely. Outgoing deputy prime minister Ebba Busch, leader of the Christian Democrats, said it "remains to be seen" what the next steps will be. Should parliament reject four prime-ministerial candidates, a new election would be required.

The election also saw the Sweden Democrats, a party with origins in the neo-Nazi fringe, experience a decline in vote share for the first time since entering parliament in 2010, narrowing the gap between the two blocs. The results are pending formal certification.