Left bloc ekes out razor-thin win in Sweden

Final results from Sweden's election show the left bloc taking 176 seats to the ruling center-right coalition's 173, prompting Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson to open coalition talks. Her party remains Sweden's largest at 28% despite dropping 2.2 points from 2022, one of its weakest showings in over a century.

Outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's Moderates took 19.8%, backed by the Sweden Democrats, whose 17.5% marked a 3.1-point drop from their 2022 peak. The Left Party, now the bloc's second-largest at 8.4%, wants cabinet posts and favors solar and wind over nuclear power, a clash with the Social Democrats' more nuclear-friendly stance.

Analysts note the Social Democrats are ideologically closer to some right-wing parties on immigration and crime than to their own coalition partners, complicating negotiations. Sweden's Centre Party has aligned with the left but refuses to let the Left Party into cabinet, leaving the shape of any government still unsettled.

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