Sweden’s ruling centre-left in slim election lead: Exit polls

Social Democrats led by PM Magdalena Andersson anticipated to win most seats in 349-seat parliament amid far-right surge.

Vote counting is underneath means in Nacka close to Stockholm. [TT News Agency/Maja Suslin via Reuters]

The ruling left-wing Social Democrats led by Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson have taken a slim lead in Sunday’s normal election, in keeping with two exit polls, whereas a right-wing populist social gathering had its greatest exhibiting but.

The 4 left-wing events had been credited with 50.6 p.c of voter help in an exit ballot printed on TV4, in comparison with 48 p.c for the 4 events on the fitting. A second exit ballot on public broadcaster SVT gave the left 49.8 p.c and the fitting 49.2 p.c.

Each polls, printed after voting closed on Sunday, additionally instructed that the anti-immigration and nationalist Sweden Democrats may for the primary time develop into the nation’s second-biggest social gathering within the 349-seat parliament. They credited the social gathering with 21.3 and 20.5 p.c of votes, respectively.

The exit polls have margins of error and the ultimate end result will solely be identified as soon as all votes are counted.

Vote counting is underneath means.

If the ultimate outcomes had been to substantiate the left bloc’s lead, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, a 55-year-old former finance minister, would attempt to construct a authorities with the help of the small left, centre and Inexperienced events.

The Social Democrats have ruled Sweden since 2014.

 

Swedes voted on Sunday in nationwide elections through which immigration was one of many ballot planks.

Opinion polls had predicted a razor-thin lead for Prime Minister Andersson’s Social Democrats and an allied left-wing bloc after a marketing campaign dominated by discussions of rising gang shootings and hovering electrical energy costs.

The precise-wing Sweden Democrats entered parliament in 2010 and have steadily gained extra votes with every election. The social gathering’s fortunes have risen following large migration in recent times, significantly in Europe’s disaster yr of 2015.

The social gathering has its roots within the white nationalist motion, however a few years in the past started expelling extremists. Regardless of its rebranding, voters lengthy considered it as unacceptable and different events shunned it. That's altering.

Polls predicted the Sweden Democrats, which received 13 p.c in 2018, would take about 20 p.c on Sunday to develop into the second-largest social gathering within the parliament. That might put it solely behind the centre-left Social Democrats.

Voter turnout was anticipated to be excessive, with greater than 80 p.c of the nation’s 7.8 million eligible voters anticipated to forged ballots.

Supporters of the Sweden Democrats react on the outcomes of the exit polls on the Occasion’s election watch on the Elite Resort Marina Tower in Nacka, close to Stockholm. [TT News Agency/Stefan Jerrevang via Reuters]