The left bloc, led by the Social Democrats, leads the results of the general elections this Sunday in Sweden, according to two exit polls published after the polls closed, while the far right seems to be losing ground.
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The center-left opposition in Sweden, led by the Social Democrats of Magdalena Andersson, is emerging as the winner of Sunday’s general elections, according to exit polls indicating that the far right is losing ground after a close vote.
The alliance of four left-wing opposition parties obtained 51.3% of the votes, in a survey published by the public broadcaster SVT, compared to 46.8% for the right, while another poll published by TV4 gave the left 51.3% and the right 47%.
The surprise of the evening is that the Sweden Democrats (SD), far right, would retreat for the first time since entering Parliament in 2010 and cease to be Sweden’s second-largest party.
“Of course, it’s a bit disappointing to stop being the second largest party in these polls. But it’s not over yet, it can still change. In the last elections, it changed late at night,” SD MP Julia Kronlid told AFP.
These estimates, still preliminary, were met with cheers on election night from Social Democratic candidate Magdalena Andersson.
The return of “Magda”
For months, polls gave a comfortable lead to the four left-wing opposition parties, headed by Andersson, leader of the center-left Social Democrats.
But in the final days of the campaign, the gap narrowed to a technical tie.
“Magda,” as she is nicknamed in Sweden, dreams at 59 of leading the government again since she was ousted from power in 2022.
Ulf Kristersson, the current right-wing prime minister, was beginning to believe in a new term.
The goal for the 62-year-old leader is to win four more years to “make Sweden great again,” he told AFP in a nod to the famous slogan of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Social Democrats, the party that governed the Nordic country for much of the 20th century and remains Sweden’s main party, have pledged to strengthen the welfare state and help households struggling to cope with the rising cost of living.
The day had its musical note when one of the members of the legendary Swedish group ABBA, Benny Andersson, at the piano at the Social Democratic Party headquarters, dedicated to “Magda” a version of the band’s big hit “Mamma Mia” changing the lyrics to “Mag-da-le-na,” which was sung by a crowd of supporters.
“Make Sweden great again”
One of the main arguments of the opposition against outgoing Prime Minister Kristersson’s candidacy is that he promised the inclusion of the far right in the government.
Kristersson pledged to incorporate the Sweden Democrats into his government if he won the legislative elections.
He also promised to focus on improving the lives of Swedes now that his government’s offensive against organized crime and immigration has begun to show results, including, he claimed, having asylum applications at a historic low.
“Now it is up to the Swedish people to decide which direction our country should take,” Andersson told reporters after voting in her hometown of Nacka.
In the last two decades, far-right leader Jimmie Akesson has led the party of neo-Nazi origin to become a legitimized political force, and on Saturday he declared this electoral battle “won” at a final campaign rally in the capital.
“Sweden is becoming safer, better, and more Swedish,” he said, surrounded by banners in the blue and yellow colors of his flag that read: “Make Sweden Sweden Again.”
In an Instagram message, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg urged voters to prevent a right-wing alliance government with the far right: “No fascist in our government. Climate justice now!” she wrote.
Voter Tommy Strand, 58, told AFP in central Stockholm that he had chosen the Green Party: “The most important thing is the climate. I think we can even cut back a bit on our welfare state to secure the future.”
About eight million people are eligible to vote in these elections, in a country of 10.6 million inhabitants where voter turnout usually exceeds 80%.
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