Overview
- The Swedish Electoral Authority completed the delayed tally on Thursday and confirmed the opposition bloc led by the Social Democrats won 176 seats versus 173 for the incumbent right‑wing bloc with roughly 49.5% to 48.8% of the vote.
- Hours after the final result on Thursday, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson admitted defeat and formally asked to be dismissed so the Riksdag can start the procedure to nominate a new prime minister.
- Magdalena Andersson is positioned to try to form a government but must negotiate among the Greens, Centre and Left parties, which back her candidacy but have policy differences that make a stable coalition complex.
- The Sweden Democrats fell to third place and lost the chance to be a governing partner, a setback that removes their direct influence on the next cabinet and reshapes the balance of power in the Riksdag.
- The final outcome was decided by advanced and overseas ballots, about 300,000 of which delayed the count and underscore how Sweden’s extended early‑voting system can determine tight elections and affect policy direction on migration and budgets.