Sweden's Kristersson resigns as left-wing bloc narrowly wins general election

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Thursday that he would resign following his ruling right-wing bloc's narrow defeat in the country's general election. The Swedish Election Authority confirmed final results showing that four left-wing opposition parties, led by Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats, had secured 176 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag, compared to 173 seats for the four parties that made up or supported Kristersson's government.

The election proved to be exceptionally close, with only around 50,000 votes separating the two blocs in a country of roughly 10.6 million people, making it one of the tightest elections in recent Swedish history. Kristersson, a conservative who had governed with the support of the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, made the announcement via social media, noting that it would now be the responsibility of the Speaker of the Riksdag to lead the process of forming a new government.

Sweden's political system is structured around two broad blocs of four parties each, meaning that coalition or minority governments are common. The results are due to be formally certified in the coming days, after which the Speaker will hold talks with party leaders to propose a candidate to lead the next government, subject to a vote in parliament.