WorldPosted at: Sep 17 2026 9:04PM


Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson resigns after centre-left opposition secures razor thin majority

Stockholm, Sep 17 (UNI) Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has resigned after the centre-left opposition secured a narrow majority in the September 13 parliamentary election, allowing the speaker of parliament to begin formal consultations on forming a new government.
The four parties in the opposition bloc won 176 of the 349 seats in the Riksdag (parliament), compared with 173 for the parties supporting Kristersson's outgoing conservative-led government. Only about 50,000 votes separated the two blocs nationwide.
Kristersson, a leader of the Moderate Party, announced his resignation on Thursday in a post on X, saying the parliamentary speaker should now lead the process of forming a new government.
"Now it is the speaker who will lead the next stage of the way to a new government. I am herewith requesting that I be relieved of the office of prime minister to allow that work to start immediately," he said.
The opposition is led by former premier Magdalena Andersson and includes the Social Democrats, Left Party, Greens and Centre Party. Andersson has begun talks with the other parties over forming a government, though the differences within the bloc could complicate the negotiations.
The Centre Party has opposed a government that gives cabinet positions to the Left Party, while the Left Party has sought representation in government. Andersson will therefore need to find an arrangement that can secure enough parliamentary support for a new cabinet.
In Swedish politics, there exist two broad political blocs, each made up of several parties, therefore making coalition or minority governments a common occurence. After a prime minister resigns, the Riksdag speaker consults party leaders before proposing a candidate for prime minister, who must then secure parliamentary approval.
Andersson said in a speech posted on Instagram that Swedish voters had chosen "a new direction" for the country.
The Social Democrats remained Sweden's largest single party, winning 99 seats and about 28% of the vote, although their result was down from 2022.
The Sweden Democrats, which have supported Kristersson's government and had been promised cabinet positions if the right-wing bloc won, also lost support. The party secured 17.5% of the vote and 62 seats, down 11 seats from the previous election.
Kristersson said he would respect Andersson's efforts to form a government and wished her luck as she navigates divisions among the opposition parties.
The process could take weeks. After the 2022 election, it took 37 days to form a government, while the 2018 election was followed by 134 days of negotiations. Under Sweden's system, parliament can vote on a proposed prime minister from September 29 at the earliest.
The Swedish Election Authority said the election results were still being formally processed, with the final results expected to be declared in a few days.
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