Sweden’s prime minister has resigned after her government was defeated in Sunday’s election.
Magdalena Andersson’s centre-left bloc lost narrowly to a bloc of right-wing parties, 176 seats to 173, with 99% of the votes counted. Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson is now expected to form a government.
His right-wing grouping includes the Sweden Democrats, a far-right party that has campaigned against rising gang shootings. It is a huge blow to Andersson’s Social Democrats, which gained votes compared to the last election, and remain Sweden’s largest party.
But in Sweden, it is bloc politics that usually decides who gets into power and the right bloc has scored a razor-thin majority.
The final result is still to be confirmed after a recount, which is standard practice in Sweden.
Ms Andersson accepted defeat at a news conference on Wednesday. She formally offered her resignation on Thursday.
The close-fought election campaign was dominated by gangs, immigration and integration issues, as well as soaring electricity prices.
Ms Andersson was the Nordic nation’s first female PM when she took office last year – she quit on the first day, before returning soon after.
Credit: bbc.com
