With just hours to go before Sweden's September 13 parliamentary election, political tensions in the country are at their peak. The latest polls show a highly contested race, with the center-left opposition bloc maintaining a slim lead but the ruling right-wing coalition rapidly closing in on it.
According to the final polls published by Swedish National Radio, as well as leading dailies Aftonbladet and Dagens Nyheter (DN), support for the ruling bloc of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and his ally, the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, is between 47.6% and 49.0% (Reuters, September 11, 2026). This gives them between 169 and 174 seats in the 349-member parliament. At the same time, the four parties on the center-left spectrum, led by Magdalena Andersson's Social Democratic Party, are collecting just under 50% support, with one study predicting a fragile difference of only one parliamentary mandate in favor of the opposition (The Guardian, September 12, 2026).
The main emphasis in the election campaign turned out to be the topics of economic uncertainty, the high cost of living, migration policy and health problems. Former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson sharply criticized the current government for rising unemployment and falling real incomes, while Prime Minister Kristersson is betting on promises of economic growth, tax breaks and tough measures against crime (BGNES, September 11, 2026). Further tension was added by revelations of pro-Russian propaganda involving a far-right official, making the issue of national security a key factor for wavering voters.
Although the opposition was leading by nearly 10 percentage points in mid-August, mobilization on the right and the passing of the 4 percent threshold by smaller coalition partners such as the Liberals (Novus / TV4, September 9, 2026) are leveling the playing field. Sociologists are adamant that the final outcome of the vote will remain completely unclear until the last ballot is counted on Sunday night.