Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Sweden’s Centre-Left Bloc Holds Narrow Lead in Election Poll
Sweden held a parliamentary election on Sunday.
An early SVT poll showed parties supporting Magdalena Andersson slightly ahead.
The centre-left was estimated to have 51.3% of the vote and 183 seats.
The right-wing bloc was estimated to have 166 seats.
However, these were only exit-poll estimates, not final results.
Another poll by TV4 also showed the centre-left leading.
Many people saw the election as a decision about the Sweden Democrats and immigration policies.
In 2022, an exit poll pointed to a centre-left win, but the right-wing coalition won the actual election.
An SVT exit poll gave Sweden’s centre-left parties 51.3% and an estimated 183 seats.
The right-wing bloc was projected to win 166 seats, while 175 seats are needed for a majority.
A separate TV4 election-day poll also placed the centre-left ahead, but official results were still pending.
The election was widely viewed as a referendum on the Sweden Democrats and Sweden’s political direction.
Exit polls have been inaccurate before: in 2022, a projection favoring the centre-left was followed by a right-wing victory.
- Who
- Swedish voters, the centre-left parties backing Magdalena Andersson, the right-wing bloc led by Ulf Kristersson, and the Sweden Democrats.
- What
- A parliamentary election in which exit polls showed the centre-left bloc narrowly leading the right-wing bloc.
- When
- Sunday, September 13; polls closed at 8 p.m. local time, and early official results were expected within hours.
- Where
- Sweden.
- Why
- The election was widely viewed as a choice between continuing Sweden’s rightward shift and returning toward its liberal traditions, as well as a referendum on the Sweden Democrats’ possible role in government.
Centre-Left Bloc
Right-Wing Bloc
Sweden’s political direction
Centre-Left Bloc
A confirmed centre-left victory would halt Sweden’s recent rightward drift and represent a move back toward the liberal traditions associated with the country.
Right-Wing Bloc
A right-wing victory would continue the political direction pursued under Ulf Kristersson’s government.
Immigration and civil liberties
Centre-Left Bloc
Critics of the right-wing government say its strict migration limits and pressure on immigrants to conform to Swedish cultural norms undermine civil liberties.
Right-Wing Bloc
Supporters of the right-wing direction back stricter migration policies, while a right-wing victory could bring the Sweden Democrats into government for the first time.
Reliability of the early result
Centre-Left Bloc
The centre-left lead was supported by both SVT’s exit poll and a separate TV4 election-day poll.
Right-Wing Bloc
The right-wing bloc could still prevail because Swedish exit polls have not always been accurate; in 2022, a centre-left-favoring projection preceded a right-wing victory.
- Centre-left exit-poll share
- 51.3%, according to SVT
- Estimated centre-left seats
- 183 seats, according to the SVT exit poll
- Estimated right-wing seats
- 166 seats, according to the SVT exit poll
- Majority threshold
- 175 seats
- Sweden Democrats share
- 17.2% in the SVT reading
- Prime-minister candidate
- Magdalena Andersson, leader of the Social Democrats
- Official results
- Early results from the Swedish Election Authority were expected within hours