About 8 million Swedish voters went to the polls to determine the composition of the 349-seat Riksdag. The contest pits Magdalena Andersson's centre-left bloc against Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's right-wing alliance. A late rise by the Sweden Democrats has narrowed the race, while Kristersson says the far-right party could enter cabinet if the right secures a majority.
Polling stations opened across Sweden at 08:00 on Sunday. About 8 million eligible voters are choosing the 349 members of the Riksdag. Turnout regularly exceeds 80 per cent, and roughly half of voters cast ballots in advance. Exit polls are due when stations close at 20:00, followed by more reliable initial counts several hours later. A definitive outcome depends on completion of the count. A definitive outcome depends on completion of the count.[1]
Cadena SER reported that Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson entered election day as the polling favourite. The Sweden Democrats' late rise narrowed the distance between Andersson's centre-left bloc and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's right-wing alliance. The decisive question is therefore not only each party's vote share but which prospective partners can assemble a parliamentary majority. The blocs seat totals will set the opening conditions for government negotiations. The blocs' seat totals will set the opening conditions for government negotiations.[2]
Kristersson said in April that the Sweden Democrats would receive government posts if the parties on the right won a majority. Al Jazeera and Cadena SER identify that prospect as a central dividing line in the election. The result will therefore decide both which bloc controls the premiership and whether the far-right party assumes direct cabinet responsibility for the first time.[1], [2]
