A left-leaning coalition led by Sweden´s opposition Social Democrats defeated the incumbent centre-right government in Sunday´s general election, while the far right was headed for historic gains.
The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats more than doubled their votes, to about 13 percent, becoming the Nordic country´s third-largest party and the “absolute kingmaker” in the legislature.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who has presided over a four-party conservative-liberal coalition for the past eight years, conceded defeat late night yesterday with the vote counting almost complete.
“We didn´t make it,” the 49-year-old leader of the Moderates party told supporters in Stockholm, adding he would hand in his resignation today.
This sets the stage for the Social Democrat leader, 57-year-old former trade unionist Stefan Loefven, to attempt to form a minority coalition government with the Greens and the former communist Left Party.
