Sweden's election result finally called
With vote counting nearly complete in a razor-tight race, public broadcaster SVT says Sweden's center-left bloc has edged out its rivals to win.
RastinewsSweden's public broadcaster SVT declared victory for the opposition center-left bloc on Sunday's general election after more than 99 percent of votes had been counted, with the margin between the two sides razor-thin.
By evening, with less than 1 percent of districts still uncounted, the gap between the ruling right-wing bloc and the center-left opposition stood at roughly 26,000 votes.
SVT put the odds of the left bloc, led by former Prime Minister and Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson, securing a parliamentary majority at 99.9 percent. "The chance of a reversal at this point is so small that we can now say with confidence that the opposition has won more seats in this election," the broadcaster said.
CENTER-LEFT BLOC TAKES 49.5 PERCENT
According to the latest figures, the center-left bloc — made up of the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, the Green Party and the Left Party — won 176 seats in Sweden's 349-seat parliament, equivalent to 49.5 percent of the vote.
The ruling right-wing bloc under Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, comprising the Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats, the Liberals and the Sweden Democrats, who back the government from outside the coalition, took 174 seats, or 48.9 percent of the vote.
The Social Democrats remained the largest single party with about 28 percent of the vote, followed by the Moderate Party with 19.9 percent and the Sweden Democrats with 17.5 percent.
Exit polls released as voting closed on Sunday had projected the opposition coalition winning with 51.3 percent.
But the count dragged on for days after it began, as counting postal ballots from abroad and late-arriving mail votes took considerable time and the margin between the two blocs remained extremely narrow.
With the opposition's win now effectively confirmed, former Prime Minister Andersson is expected to open coalition talks in the coming weeks as she seeks to return to the premiership after four years out of office.
Sweden's Election Authority is still counting late and overseas ballots, with the full count expected to continue through Thursday.