Kristersson Resigns as Sweden’s Election Opens Difficult Government Talks

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has formally asked to be relieved of his duties after the final count of the country’s parliamentary election confirmed a narrow victory for the opposition. The centre-left parties secured 176 of the Riksdag’s 349 seats, compared with 173 for the four parties that have supported Kristersson’s government: the Moderates, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and Liberals.

Kristersson submitted his resignation to the Speaker of the Riksdag on Thursday, shortly after the final votes were counted. In his letter, he said the election result created complicated conditions for the formation of a new government and argued that the process should begin immediately. Under Sweden’s system, the outgoing prime minister and ministers remain in office in a caretaker capacity until a new government takes over.

A Narrow Electoral Shift

The result marks a change in the parliamentary balance after four years in which Kristersson governed with support from the Sweden Democrats. The opposition bloc formed by the Social Democrats, Left Party, Green Party and Centre Party finished with 176 seats, three more than the parties backing the outgoing government. The margin between the two sides was 50,359 votes, underlining how closely contested the election was.

The Sweden Democrats are also facing a significant change in their electoral position. The party, which became the second-largest force in the governing bloc during the previous parliamentary term, lost support compared with the 2022 election. Reuters reported that its decline was the first in a parliamentary election since the party's rise into Sweden's political mainstream, although it remains a major force in the Riksdag.

The result nevertheless does not automatically translate into a new government. Sweden's parliamentary system requires a prime minister to be accepted by the Riksdag, and the composition of the 2026 parliament leaves the parties facing negotiations over how a governing majority can function.

Magdalena Andersson Faces the Next Test

With Kristersson stepping aside, the Speaker will begin consultations with the parties over a new prime minister. Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson is expected to be central to those talks after leading the opposition campaign. The Riksdag's own explanation of the post-election process states that, following a resignation, the Speaker consults party leaders before putting forward a candidate for prime minister.

Andersson has already indicated that the election result should lead to a change of government. However, the four parties that together hold the 176 opposition seats do not form a conventional single-party bloc, and their cooperation will have to be translated into a workable parliamentary arrangement. The Centre Party and Left Party in particular have previously maintained different positions on cooperation with the Social Democrats, making the negotiations potentially more complex than the seat count alone suggests.

The parliamentary arithmetic also means that the next government may need to rely on agreements that extend beyond a formal coalition. Sweden's system does not require a prime minister to win an absolute majority of MPs: a candidate is accepted unless more than half of the Riksdag votes against them. This makes negotiations over abstentions, confidence and individual policy areas potentially as important as the formal composition of the cabinet.

The Speaker Takes Centre Stage

Kristersson's resignation allows the next stage of the process to begin. The newly elected Riksdag is scheduled to convene on 28 September and elect a Speaker, while the earliest possible vote on a new prime minister is 29 September.

The Speaker can make up to four attempts to find a prime minister who is not rejected by an absolute majority of MPs. If all four proposals fail, Sweden must hold an extraordinary election within three months. Such elections are highly unusual: according to the Riksdag, Sweden has held one only once under the current constitutional framework.

That possibility remains a contingency rather than an immediate outcome. The first task will be to establish whether Andersson can assemble sufficient parliamentary support and whether the parties on the centre-left can reconcile their respective positions well enough to sustain a government.

A Change in Sweden’s Political Direction

The election also comes at a significant moment for Sweden's position in Europe. Kristersson's government oversaw Sweden's entry into NATO in 2024, a major foreign and security-policy shift following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The next government will inherit the same strategic environment, including Sweden's responsibilities within NATO, its role in European security and continued support for Ukraine.

The change in government could therefore affect the emphasis and priorities of Swedish domestic policy without necessarily reversing the country's broader security orientation. Sweden's NATO membership is now embedded in its institutional and defence planning, while the country's security environment continues to be shaped by the war in Ukraine and the wider transformation of European defence.