STOCKHOLM: Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will resign after losing the country's parliamentary election, he said on Thursday, following the announcement of a final vote count.
Centre-left opposition parties won 176 seats in Sunday's vote for parliament, while Kristersson's ruling right-wing bloc secured 173 seats, the election authority said earlier as the counting of ballots ended.
"Now it is the speaker who will lead the next stage of the way to a new government. I am herewith requesting that I be relieved of the office of prime minister to allow that work to start immediately," Kristersson said in a letter posted on social media platform X.
The election result sets the stage for Social Democratic party leader Magdalena Andersson, Sweden's first woman prime minister in 2021, to make a comeback after four years in opposition.
For the centre-left, however, victory may only be the first step in a long process to form a government.
Of Andersson's potential backers, the Centre Party will not join a coalition that includes the Left Party. The Green Party is also a potential member of a left-of-centre government.
Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reported that the Social Democrats have invited the other opposition parties for talks, but gave no further details.
Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch, leader of the Christian Democrats, said "it remains to be seen" what happens next, as internal divisions among the centre-left parties could complicate the formation of a new government. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
