Voting under way in Sweden election that could see far right enter gov’t | The Far Right News
Voters Cast Ballots in Pivotal Swedish Election
By AFP and The Associated Press
Published on September 13, 2026
Swedish voters are participating in a closely contested general election that may lead to the far-right Sweden Democrats joining the government for the first time or allow the center-left opposition to reclaim power.
Magdalena Andersson, leader of the Social Democrats, was among the first to vote after polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) on Sunday. The 59-year-old Andersson, who made history in 2021 as Sweden’s first female prime minister, cast her ballot alongside her husband at a school in Nacka, a municipality located south of Stockholm.
In the weeks leading up to the election, polls indicated a comfortable lead for the four parties in the left-wing bloc over Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s center-right coalition, which includes the Sweden Democrats. However, as the campaign progressed, the margin narrowed significantly.
“It is now up to the Swedish people to decide which direction our country should take,” Andersson told reporters after voting. “Should we have a government entirely dominated by the Sweden Democrats? Something that has never happened in Sweden before? Or should we have a government led by me, which will steer Sweden in a new spirit of cooperation?”
Andersson’s party has made commitments to strengthen the welfare state and assist households facing rising living costs.
Outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson seeks a second four-year term at the helm. He has led Sweden since 2022 with a coalition consisting of three center-right parties, relying on the Sweden Democrats for parliamentary majority support. If the right-wing bloc is re-elected, it is anticipated that Sweden Democrats will receive Cabinet positions in the new government.
Kristersson has emphasized his administration’s focus on enhancing the daily lives of citizens, following a strict approach to organized crime and immigration issues. “We want to use our new and far better preconditions to improve the lives of ordinary people … to make Sweden great again,” he stated.
The Sweden Democrats, a party with controversial neo-Nazi roots, became the largest party on the right in the 2022 elections with 20.5 percent of the vote. Kristersson announced in April that while his Moderates would permit the Sweden Democrats to join the government if a majority is secured, he intends to remain in the prime ministerial position even if the Sweden Democrats emerge as the stronger party.
Polls will close at 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT), with exit polls expected shortly thereafter and preliminary results available several hours later. Approximately eight million Swedes are eligible to vote in a country with a population of 10.6 million, where voter turnout typically exceeds 80 percent. Notably, about half of the electorate has already cast their ballots in advance.
