Sweden’s centre-left opposition has taken a slim lead in a closely fought election that could reshape the country’s approach to migration and the far right.
With 6,195 of 6,312 districts reporting, the bloc led by Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson was projected to win 176 of the 349 seats in parliament.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing bloc was on 173 seats.
The final result may not be known until Wednesday, 16 September, at the earliest, with overseas ballots still to be counted.
The election has put Sweden’s tougher migration policies under the spotlight. Kristersson’s government has tightened welfare rules, restricted permanent residency for refugees and increased deportations.
His alliance has also relied on the Sweden Democrats, a far-right party with roots in the neo-Nazi movement. Kristersson has said he would bring the party into government if the right secures a majority.
Supporters argue that stricter immigration policies have helped tackle gang violence and reduce migration. Critics say the measures have gone too far and risk undermining civil liberties.
Even if Andersson’s bloc finishes ahead, forming a stable government could prove difficult. Its parties disagree over issues including migration, taxes and the expansion of nuclear power.
Kristersson has not conceded, saying he would look for a way to form a government if given the opportunity.
“Even if tonight’s results hold, I will explore whether it’s possible to find a viable government constellation,” he said.
At the Social Democrats’ election gathering in Stockholm, supporter Adonay Endrias Kidane summed up the uncertainty: “It’s a very tight race, it’s going to be a very long night.”
The result is being closely watched beyond Sweden, with a strong showing by the Sweden Democrats likely to encourage other right-wing and anti-immigration movements across Europe.
Exiled Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev confronts conscription and moral compromise in wartime Russia in Minotaur, a drama released near...
As Ethiopia's rainy season retreats and the landscape turns green beneath clearer skies, millions of Oromo people gather to celebrate Irreecha,...
Maisa, a 17-year-old in a deprived Paris suburb who aspires to be an English teacher, joined tens of thousands of ...
Yemen's air force carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets earlier on Friday, Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, said. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis denied targeting a power plant supplying energy to a mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
The co-pilot of Israel bound flydubai flight attempted to carry out a “terrorist attack” with an axe during the flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday.
Hammam al-Hammami, the Flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday in a suspected terrorist attack, was banned from flying by Oman over concerns about his radical views, U.S. media reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Two Iranian nationals have been charged in Britain with preparing a suspected terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community in northern England, police said on Friday (2 October).
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev warned against interference from outside actors in remarks at the 8th Congress of the New Azerbaijan Party in Baku on Friday 2 October.
Maisa, a 17-year-old in a deprived Paris suburb who aspires to be an English teacher, joined tens of thousands of other students and their supporters this week in protests that spread across France over dilapidated schools, classroom overcrowding and teacher shortages.
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’ centrist, pro-Ukraine United List party won Saturday’s parliamentary election by a wide margin, according to partial results, as security concerns linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine dominated the campaign.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Saturday they had targeted an Aramco facility in the Saudi capital Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones, as fighting between the group and Saudi-backed forces continues to intensify.
A major bridge across the Dnipro river in Kyiv was hit in a Russian air attack on Saturday, the city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko said, as strikes on the capital's infrastructure continue.
Hammam al-Hammami, the Flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday in a suspected terrorist attack, was banned from flying by Oman over concerns about his radical views, U.S. media reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment