Sweden left bloc edges ahead in tight parliamentary race

Sweden's left-wing opposition bloc edged ahead of the governing right-wing alliance by a mere 20,000 votes in initial projections from Sunday's parliamentary election, public broadcaster SVT reported, leaving the 349-seat legislature evenly split pending final counting.

Exit poll projections

According to the broadcaster's forecast, the Social Democrats, Greens, Left Party and Center Party are projected to secure 175 seats against 174 for the Moderates, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and Liberals. The exit poll indicated the left bloc captured 51.3% of ballots cast while the right alliance received 46.8%, though officials cautioned that these figures remain preliminary.

Party performance

The Social Democrats remain the largest single formation despite shedding support, falling to 27.6% from the 30.3% they secured in 2022. The Moderates are positioned to finish second with 19.8%, narrowly outpacing the Sweden Democrats who polled at 17.2% — a slight dip from their 17.7% showing four years ago.

The Left Party appeared to have made significant gains, climbing to 8.2% from 6.8% in the previous contest. Both the Center Party and Christian Democrats also improved their standing, reaching 7.2% and 6.2% respectively, while the Liberals cleared the 4% parliamentary threshold with 5.4%.

Late ballots decisive

Election officials emphasized that the narrow margin separating the blocs could easily reverse as counting proceeds. Late-arriving early votes and ballots cast from abroad are scheduled for tabulation on Wednesday or Thursday, according to SVT.