Centre-Left Secures Slim Majority in Swedish Parliament

Overview

• The opposition bloc led by Magdalena Andersson won 176 of the Riksdag’s 349 seats after Sweden’s parliamentary vote on Sunday, September 13, compared with 173 for the government bloc.
• Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson submitted his letter of resignation to the president of the Riksdag on Thursday, September 17, following the certification of the final vote counts.
• The new Riksdag will convene on September 28 to elect its speaker and the speaker may begin formal talks and propose a prime minister from September 29, a process that will determine whether Andersson can form a stable government.
• The Centre Party’s refusal to work with the Sweden Democrats shifted the bloc math in favour of the centre-left, while the Sweden Democrats fell to 62 seats, down 11 from the last term.
• Because the majority is narrow, cross-party bargaining will be needed and the slim margin is likely to limit rapid changes on issues such as immigration and public security that remain high priorities for many voters.