Sweden election too close to call as centre-left leads by just one seat

Sweden’s centre-left opposition held a razor-thin one-seat lead on Sunday night as election results left the country facing days of uncertainty.

With 80 percent of votes counted, parties led by Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson were projected to hold 175 seats, compared with 174 for the right-wing bloc led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Swedish broadcaster SVT estimated that just 20,000 votes separated the two sides at 10:30 PM local time.

The election authority said a preliminary count may not be completed until Thursday.

“We will have to wait for the final election results. But my message is clear: we Social Democrats will always be ready to take responsibility for the result. It seems like it will be very even,” Andersson told supporters.

“But right now we are leading. If it stands, then Sweden will have a new government.”

The Social Democrats remained Sweden’s largest party but appeared headed for their worst result in decades.

The far-right Sweden Democrats also lost ground, falling from the country’s second-largest party to third.

Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch warned Sweden was going “to bed with uncertainty”, while predicting the final result could remain unclear until Wednesday.

Coalition negotiations are expected to take weeks or potentially months regardless of which bloc ultimately wins.