Exit polls show center-left opposition bloc leading Swedish election

STOCKHOLM - Sweden's opposition bloc held a lead over the right-wing boc in two exit polls released after voting ended in Sunday's parliamentary election.

Public broadcaster SVT's exit poll put the four opposition parties at 51.3 percent of the vote, against 46.8 percent for the four right-wing parties. A separate election-day survey by TV4 showed a similar picture, giving the opposition 51.3 percent and the right 47.0 percent.

The projections were greeted with cheers at several opposition parties' election-night gatherings. "If this holds up, Magdalena Andersson will become our country's prime minister," Social Democratic Party Secretary Tobias Baudin told SVT after the exit poll results were announced.

The SVT exit poll also pointed to a setback for the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD). SD politician Bjorn Soder said he was "quite shocked" by his party's showing, with support at 17.2 percent, down 3.3 percentage points from the 2022 election. He said he believed the final result could look different.

SD, long excluded from government by established parties because of its far-right roots, has supported Kristersson's government from outside the cabinet since 2022. If the bloc wins this year, SD could enter government for the first time, with Kristersson having opened the door to giving the party cabinet posts.

SVT reported that Kristersson was not expected to concede even if the opposition parties won a majority. His Moderate Party maintained that the outcome could not be settled until it became clear who could secure sufficient parliamentary support to serve as prime minister.

Sweden's vote count began after polling stations closed at 8 pm (1800 GMT), with the first preliminary results expected later in the evening.