Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has announced his resignation after his governing right-wing bloc was narrowly defeated by the centre-left opposition in Sunday’s general election.
Kristersson announced his decision on Thursday after the final election count showed the opposition parties winning 176 seats in the 349-member Riksdag, compared with 173 seats for the four parties supporting the governing bloc.
In a statement posted on X, Kristersson said he was asking to be relieved of his position so the process of forming a new government could begin. He said the next stage would be led by the Speaker of the Riksdag.
The centre-left bloc is led by Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats, who said Swedish voters had chosen “a new direction” for the country. Andersson has begun discussions with the Left Party, Centre Party and Green Party about forming a government.
However, negotiations could take time because the parties have significant differences on issues including taxation and other economic policies. Sweden has a history of coalition and minority governments, and forming a government after elections can take several weeks. Following the 2022 election, it took 37 days to form a government, while the process after the 2018 election lasted 134 days.
Kristersson had led a centre-right government supported by the Sweden Democrats, alongside his Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals. The Sweden Democrats had provided outside parliamentary support but Kristersson had promised to bring them into government if his bloc retained power.
The election result marked a setback for the Sweden Democrats, which lost support compared with the 2022 election. The party has become a major force in Swedish politics after shifting from its extremist origins and focusing heavily on immigration and crime.
Under Kristersson’s government, Sweden introduced significant changes to its migration policies, with the Sweden Democrats playing an influential role in supporting the government’s approach.
Despite the narrow defeat, Kristersson said the opposition would face complicated negotiations in attempting to establish a new government, pointing to differences between the parties and positions taken during the election campaign.
The Swedish Election Authority confirmed that the final count had been completed, with the centre-left parties securing 176 seats and the right-wing bloc 173.
The next step will be for the Speaker of the Riksdag to consult with the parties and propose a candidate for prime minister. The candidate must then receive parliamentary approval under Sweden’s system for appointing governments.
The election authority says Sweden’s Riksdag has 349 seats, with seats allocated proportionally according to the election results.
