The Sweden election result 2026 remains unresolved, with the left-wing bloc holding a narrow lead of roughly 28,000 votes and up to 300,000 ballots from early and overseas voters still to be counted, according to the country’s electoral authority.
With 95% of votes reported by early Monday, the left-wing bloc led by Magdalena Andersson’s Social Democrats held 176 mandates against the right-wing bloc’s 173 in the Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament. Preliminary projections by the electoral authority suggested Andersson would likely finish with a three-seat majority over the four-party coalition led by current conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
No major media outlets had declared a winner as of Monday morning. Kristersson himself acknowledged the uncertainty, telling supporters: “The voters have had their say, but we still don’t have a final result. Which government will lead Sweden in the coming years is still an open question.”
Hundreds of thousands of votes still outstanding ahead of Wednesday count
The electoral authority estimates that close to 300,000 votes from early and overseas ballots remain to be counted, according to Sweden Herald. Counting is set to resume on Wednesday, with results expected Thursday, covering ballots submitted late as well as votes cast from abroad that did not arrive before election day.
That volume of outstanding votes could easily determine the outcome. In the 2022 election, more than 220,000 votes were included in the equivalent later count. With only around 28,000 votes currently separating the two blocs, Wednesday’s tally carries the potential to swing the result.
On Sunday night, Andersson urged supporters to wait for the final count, but said that if the current figures held, “Sweden will have a new government.” After casting her ballot, she framed the choice facing voters in direct terms: “Should we have a government entirely dominated by the Sweden Democrats, something that has never happened in Sweden before? Or should we have a government led by me, which will steer Sweden in a new spirit of co-operation?”
Kristersson casts doubt on left-wing bloc’s ability to govern
Even if the final Sweden election result 2026 delivers a narrow majority to the left-wing bloc, forming a stable government may not be straightforward. Kristersson, speaking after casting his vote in his home municipality of Strangnas, said the four left-wing parties had irreconcilable differences, pointing in particular to tensions between the Left Party and the Centre Party, and argued they were unlikely to agree on a shared government programme, Le Monde reported.
Kristersson added that there was “genuine enthusiasm” for his alliance continuing its work, saying he remained confident his bloc could stay in government.
He had previously promised cabinet posts to the hard-right Sweden Democrats (SD) if he retained power. The SD, which has neo-Nazi roots and was founded by Nazi sympathisers in the 1980s, became the country’s second largest party in 2022 after campaigning on violent crime and immigration. It had been shunned by other parties for years before that election.
Social Democrats on course for worst result in over a century
Despite leading the left-wing bloc, the Social Democrats are tracking towards their worst result in more than a century, with early counts showing them at 28%. The party has been a dominant force in Swedish politics since the end of World War Two.
The SD also recorded a reversal: the count showed the party losing support for the first time since 2010, when it entered the Riksdag. Both blocs’ leading parties shed votes, while other parties in the left-wing grouping, including the Left Party, the Greens and the Centre Party, gained ground.
National security, gang crime and welfare spending dominated the campaign. Turnout fell to approximately 80%, down four percentage points from the 2022 poll.
Sweden uses a proportional representation system to elect mandates in the Riksdag. A party must win at least 4% of the vote to enter parliament, and coalition or minority governments are common, given that both major blocs contain four parties each.
Final results, incorporating the outstanding early and overseas ballots, are expected on Thursday.
