Swedes are heading to the polls on Sunday for general elections that will either bring the far right into government for the first time, or return the left-wing opposition to power. Around eight million citizens are eligible to vote in the country of 10.6 million, where turnout regularly exceeds 80%. Roughly half of voters cast their ballots early.
Andersson among first to vote
Opposition leader Magdalena Andersson, of the Social Democrats, was among the first to vote after polling stations opened. Polls have long given the four parties of the left-wing bloc a comfortable lead over the four-party alliance led by conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, which includes the far-right Sweden Democrats. That gap has narrowed in the final days of the campaign.
"It is now in the hands of the Swedish people to decide which direction our country should take. Should we have a government entirely dominated by the Sweden Democrats — something that has never happened before in Sweden? Or should we have a government under my leadership, one that will steer Sweden towards a new spirit of cooperation?" Andersson told journalists after voting.
Her party, which governed the Scandinavian country for most of the 20th century and remains Sweden's largest, has pledged to strengthen the welfare state and help households struggling with rising costs.
Kristersson's pitch
The outgoing Prime Minister has meanwhile pledged to focus on improving everyday life for Swedes, now that his government's crackdown on organised crime and immigration has begun to show results. "We want to use our new and much-improved conditions to improve the lives of ordinary people, to make Sweden great again," Kristersson told AFP before the vote, borrowing Donald Trump's well-known phrase.
Far-right bid for government
Over the past two decades, far-right leader Jimmie Åkesson has steered his party, which has neo-Nazi roots, into the political mainstream in Sweden. He now hopes to enter government. Kristersson has promised the far right key cabinet posts should he win the election.
Åkesson expressed confidence in victory at a final campaign rally on Saturday. "We have already won!" the 47-year-old told a cheering crowd at a large park in the capital.
What happens next
Polling stations close at 20:00 (18:00 GMT), with exit polls due immediately afterwards. The first reliable results are expected several hours later.
Should the right-wing bloc win, forming a new government would be relatively straightforward. However, with the four left-wing parties ideologically divided, forming a government would require tough negotiations even if they secure a majority.
