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

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Thursday that he would resign after his ruling right-wing bloc was narrowly defeated in the country's general election. The announcement followed final results from the Swedish Election Authority showing that the four left-wing opposition parties, led by Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats, had secured 176 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag, against 173 for the four parties that made up or supported Kristersson's government. Only around 50,000 votes separated 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, said in a social media post that it would now fall to the Speaker of the Riksdag to lead the process of forming a new government. Sweden's political system is built around two broad blocs, four parties on the right and four on the left, meaning coalition or minority governments are common outcomes. 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 parliamentary vote.