Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson gives a news conference in Stockholm on September 14, 2022. Jessica Gow/TT News Agency via REUTERS
Stockholm: Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson conceded defeat and announced she will resign as the opposition looked set to score a victory in one of the closest elections ever in the largest Nordic country.
Andersson -- who became the nation’s first female prime minister last year -- told reporters in Stockholm that she will submit her resignation early on Thursday.
The announcement came as the country’s election authority was about to release the results of the full vote count from Sunday’s election, in which Andersson and a loose coalition supporting her was defeated by an opposition bloc led by Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson.
"If Ulf Kristersson’s alternative doesn’t hold, I am ready to lead,” Andersson said, adding that she has no plans to step down as leader of the Social Democrats. "Sweden will be only one or two votes away from a government crisis,” she said.
Kristersson, 58, is slated to lead a government with support from a very slim majority in parliament, like the one Andersson governed with, which has led to several tumultuous years in Swedish politics.
The Moderate leader has started talks with three parties that backed his candidacy, including the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats -- which are now the country’s second largest political force after Andersson’s Social Democrats.
The main obstacle facing Kristersson as he seeks to take over Andersson’s job is to square differences between the Sweden Democrats and the much smaller Liberals, who seek to keep the nationalists as far as possible from power.
While the Sweden Democrats garnered more votes than the Moderates, Kristersson remains the top candidate for the premiership, as a government led by nationalist leader Jimmie Akesson would be opposed by a majority in parliament.
"The Swedish people have voted for change,” Akesson said in a Facebook post. "The process to make Sweden nice again starts. It is time to start rebuilding the safety, welfare and cohesion. It is time to put Sweden first.”
