Swedish PM Resigns as Right-Wing Parties Win Vote

Facts

• With 99% of the votes counted in Sweden's national election on Sunday, PM Magdalena Andersson conceded defeat at a press conference on Wednesday and said she would formally resign this Thursday.¹
• After informing the speaker of the Riksdag [parliament], Andreas Norlen, Andersson will continue as prime minister in a caretaking capacity until a new government is in place. The speaker will then ask the leader of the center-right Moderates, Ulf Kristersson, to try to create a new government.²
• A major winner of Sunday's election was the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, which is now the second-biggest party in the Riksdag, though they aren't considered likely to lead the next government.²
• The new government will face challenges including climate change, energy security, shoring up post-pandemic social safety nets, and financing a planned surge in defense spending.³
• The prime minister's center-left coalition lost narrowly to an unprecedented bloc of right-wing and far-right parties, 176 seats to 173, out of the Swedish Parliament's 349 seats. The election was so close that tens of thousands of votes from abroad and those cast in advance had to be counted before a result could be validated.⁴

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²Washington Post, ³Al Jazeera and ⁴France24.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by CNBC. With Sweden's long history of liberal traditions, these election results come as a shock for many, as far-right Sweden Democrats emerged from neo-Nazi activity. The party's position as the largest party on the right places them in a strong position, which is a scary thought for many Swedes today.
• Right narrative, as provided by Independent. The Social Democrat government has let the welfare state fall apart. Sweden is now a country ravaged by crime. Now is the time for change to make the nordic nation the safe and successful country it once was.