Swedes are voting today, Sunday, in a close parliamentary election that could return the opposition, led by the Social Democratic Party, to power or give Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson a second term and bring the Sweden Democrats into government for the first time. Several opinion polls conducted over the past week showed the opposition with a slight lead over the governing right-wing bloc.
Voting requirements and the contest between the two main blocs
A party must win at least 4% of the vote to enter parliament. Two main blocs, each made up of 4 parties, are competing to secure a majority that would allow them to form the next government. Kristersson is seeking to remain in office for another 4-year term, while Andersson hopes to return to the premiership, which she held between 2021 and 2022.
Supporters of the right-wing bloc say its policies have helped curb gang violence and significantly reduce immigration, and believe renewing its mandate would allow it to continue along the same path. Critics of the government, meanwhile, say these policies undermine civil liberties and increase pressure on immigrants to conform to Swedish cultural norms or leave the country.
Voters' views on government policies
Kristersson has pledged to give the Sweden Democrats a role in government if his bloc wins. During the campaign, he said: "We can bring parties, voters and issues together within a common framework, and that is why we get things done." Kristersson has led since 2022 a coalition of 3 centre-right parties, which relies on support from the Sweden Democrats outside the government to secure a parliamentary majority.
The right-wing parties have agreed to form a four-party government led by Kristersson if they win. The Sweden Democrats won 20.5% of the vote in the 2022 election, becoming the largest right-wing party. If the governing bloc retains power, the party is expected to receive ministerial portfolios for the first time.
The party was founded in the 1980s by people who had previously been involved in far-right groups, including some linked to neo-Nazism. Under the leadership of Jimmie Åkesson, who has headed the party since 2005, it moderated its rhetoric and expelled members accused of racism. The Sweden Democrats' performance is being closely watched by emerging far-right parties across Europe, particularly after the recent gains made by Germany's Alternative for Germany party.
By contrast, Andersson faces a more complicated path to forming a government despite her bloc's slight lead in opinion polls. Polling stations open at 8 a.m. local time, with preliminary results expected to emerge after they close at 6 p.m. GMT.
