Voting under way in Sweden election that could see far right enter gov’t

The far-right Sweden Democrats enactment could participate authorities for the archetypal clip if right-wing bloc wins.

Voters successful Sweden are heading to the polls successful an highly adjacent wide predetermination that volition spot either the acold close participate authorities for the archetypal clip oregon the centre-left absorption reclaim power.

Opposition person Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats was among the archetypal to formed her ballot aft polling stations opened astatine 8:00am (06:00 GMT) connected Sunday.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Sweden heads to the polls: What’s astatine involvement successful the knife-edge election?
• list 2 of 39/11 astatine 25: How the ‘War connected Terror’ helped mainstream Europe’s acold right
• list 3 of 3As Sweden heads to polls, Israel and Palestine policies are connected the ballot

The 59-year-old, who successful 2021 became the archetypal pistillate to service arsenic Sweden’s premier minister, voted with her hubby astatine a schoolhouse successful her location municipality of Nacka, southbound of Stockholm.

Pre-election sentiment polls person agelong credited the 4 parties successful her left-wing bloc with a comfy pb implicit blimpish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s four-party alliance, which includes the far-right Sweden Democrats.

But the spread narrowed importantly successful the last days of the campaign.

Social Democratic Party person Magdalena Andersson (L) and her hubby Richard Friberg (R) formed their votes astatine a polling presumption successful a schoolhouse during Sweden’s wide election, successful Nacka connected September 13, 2026 [AFP]

“It is present up to the Swedish radical to determine which absorption our state should take. Should we person a authorities wholly dominated by the Sweden Democrats? Something that has ne'er happened successful Sweden before? Or should we person a authorities led by me, which volition steer Sweden successful a caller tone of cooperation?” Andersson told reporters aft voting.

Her enactment has pledged to boost the payment authorities and assistance struggling households header with the rising outgo of living.

Outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is seeking a 2nd four-year word astatine the helm of the European Union nation.

He has led Sweden since 2022 with a three-party centre-right coalition. It relies connected extracurricular enactment from the Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigration, far-right enactment that has moved towards the governmental mainstream, for a parliamentary majority.

If the right-wing bloc is re-elected, the Sweden Democrats tin expect Cabinet posts successful the adjacent government.

Kristersson has promised to absorption connected improving Swedes’ mundane lives, pursuing his government’s clampdown connected organised transgression and immigration.

“We privation to usage our caller and acold amended preconditions to amended the lives of mean radical … to marque Sweden large again,” Kristersson told quality bureau AFP earlier the vote.

Sweden Democrats enactment person Jimmie Akesson (L) votes successful Rinkeby, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, September 12, 2026, the time earlier the wide predetermination [Claudio Bresciani/EPA]

The Sweden Democrats, a enactment with neo-Nazi roots, took 20.5 percent of the ballot successful the 2022 predetermination to go the biggest enactment connected the right.

Kristersson announced successful April that his blimpish Moderates would let the enactment into authorities if the close has a bulk – though helium would stay premier curate adjacent if the Sweden Democrats are the stronger party.

Voting stations adjacent astatine 8:00pm (18:00 GMT) erstwhile exit polls are expected to beryllium published, with the archetypal reliable results expected respective hours later.

Some 8 cardinal radical are eligible to ballot successful the election, successful a state of 10.6 cardinal wherever elector turnout regularly tops 80 percent.

About fractional of voters person formed their ballots successful advance.