Even if the center-left lead holds, Magdalena Andersson faces difficult coalition talks among parties divided over power and policy. “Everything can still change on Wednesday,” TVP World’s chief international correspondent Alex Cadier said as Sweden awaited the final ballots from an election that left the country’s two political blocs separated by just three seats. Cadier, reporting from Stockholm, told TVP World’s News in Depth program that preliminary results gave the center-left opposition, led by Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson, 176 seats, against 173 for Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing bloc. Late advance and overseas ballots were still to be counted, meaning neither camp could yet be certain of forming a government. Coalition talks could take weeks Even if the center-left lead survives the final count, forming a government could prove difficult. Andersson would need to bring together the Social Democrats, Greens, Left Party and Center Party, which differ on taxation, energy policy and cabinet posts. “She did not say what her coalition would look like,” Cadier said, adding that negotiations could take “weeks and weeks and weeks.” The uncertainty echoes Sweden’s 2022 election, when the final balance shifted as counting continued. The remaining ballots were expected to be added to the count on Wednesday, while the formal final result was not expected until later in the week. Sweden Democrats lose ground The Sweden Democrats, which supported Kristersson’s government from outside the cabinet after the 2022 election, fell to just under 18% and were projected to lose about 10 to 11 seats. Cadier said the party’s weaker showing may reflect both anti-incumbent sentiment and the fact that tougher policies on crime and migration have moved into Sweden’s political mainstream. A change of government would be unlikely to alter Sweden’s broader foreign policy course. Support for NATO, Ukraine and closer Baltic security cooperation remains strong across the main parties. For now, the result remains provisional. “We have a result, but it’s not definite. It’s not final.”
