Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, who had been in office for less than a year, resigned this Wednesday (14), paving the way for the formation of a new government after recognizing the victory of the opposition bloc that, among its members, has representatives of the far right in the Nordic country.
The final results of the election have not yet been released — they are expected to be made public by this weekend — but Andersson, a Social Democrat, told reporters that the initial count already confirms the victory of the right-wing bloc.
The latest official figures released in the country after the elections on Sunday (11) show that the alliance formed by the Moderates, the Swedish Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals will win 176 seats in the Parliament composed of 349 seats. The center-left, traditional in the country’s government, would take 173.
In a region with a democratic tradition and on the left, the result represented a shift in the local balance of power. The Swedish Democrats, a party with an anti-immigration discourse, consolidated itself as the largest party on the right, with 20.6% of the vote. The figure also makes the party the second largest in the country, behind the Social Democrats (30.4%).
“When there is a new government, I will lead social democracy in the opposition,” the prime minister said at a press conference, according to a report by public broadcaster SVT. “We Social Democrats are willing to cooperate with anyone who wants to be part of the solution to the problems our country faces.”
The advantage of the right in Parliament tends to be small – from two to three seats – and the parties have not yet confirmed that they intend to govern together, but Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderates and quoted for premier, has already said that he has started the task to form a new government.
Magdalena Andersson was the first female prime minister in Swedish history. She did so last November, when she took over as a minority government leader after a collapse in the ruling coalition led to the resignation of her predecessor Stefan Löfven.
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