Sweden Votes in Tight Election Race as Far Right Eyes Government Role

EPA

Envelopes containing votes are placed into a ballot box during early voting for Sweden's 2026 general election.

Sweden began voting on Sunday in parliamentary, regional and municipal elections, with a closely contested race that could see the far right enter government for the first time or the left-wing opposition return to power.

Opposition leader Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats was among the first to cast her ballot after polling stations opened at 8am local time (0600 GMT).

“It is now up to the Swedish people to decide which direction our country should take. 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 cooperation?” Andersson told reporters after voting.

Her Social Democratic Party, which governed Sweden for much of the 20th century and remains the country’s largest political party, has pledged to strengthen the welfare state and help households struggling with rising living costs.

Polling stations are due to close at 8pm local time (1800 GMT), with exit polls expected shortly afterwards. The first reliable results are expected several hours later.

More than 80 Kurdish candidates are also standing in the elections on the lists of various political parties. They are contesting seats across all three levels of government — parliament, regional councils and municipalities.

Around 8.6 million people are eligible to vote across Sweden’s 21 regions. According to the Swedish Election Authority, 54,212 candidates have registered to contest the elections.

According to AFP, opinion polls have consistently shown the four parties in Andersson’s left-wing bloc holding a comfortable lead over Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s four-party conservative alliance, which includes the far-right Sweden Democrats.

Kristersson has meanwhile pledged to focus on improving the daily lives of Swedes, arguing that his government’s efforts to tackle organised crime and curb immigration are beginning to produce results.

“We want to use our new and far better preconditions to improve the lives of ordinary people... to make Sweden great again,” Kristersson told AFP ahead of the vote, echoing U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.

Kristersson’s three-party minority government reached an agreement with the Sweden Democrats in 2022, giving the far-right party influence over government policy, particularly on immigration and crime, in return for its support in parliament.

Over the past two decades, Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson has led the party, which has roots in the neo-Nazi movement, into the political mainstream.

The party is now seeking to join the government, with Kristersson promising it key cabinet positions if the right-wing bloc wins the election.



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