Left-wing opposition takes narrow lead in tightly contested Swedish election

Sweden's Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson speaks during the Social Democrats' election night party in Stockholm — Sweden’s Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson speaks during the Social Democrats’ election night party in Stockholm (AFP/Getty)

Sweden’s centre-left opposition has taken a narrow lead over the ruling right-wing government in a tightly contested general election.
The left-leaning bloc, led by Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson, is projected to win 176 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag compared to 173 seats for Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing bloc.
Final results are not expected until Wednesday, pending the counting of late postal votes and ballots cast from abroad.
Both party leaders have called for patience while votes are finalized, with roughly 20,000 votes separating the two major political blocs.
Prime Minister Kristersson pledged to bring the far-right Sweden Democrats into government if his coalition retains power, while Andersson faces potential friction among her coalition partners over economic policies.