(Bloomberg) — Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson conceded defeat and announced she will resign as surge in support for a nationalist party helped the right-wing opposition win one of the closest elections ever in the largest Nordic country.
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Andersson — who became the nation’s first female prime minister last year — told reporters in Stockholm that she will submit her resignation early on Thursday.
The announcement came as the country’s election authority was about to release the full vote count from Sunday’s election. Gains by anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats played the key role in the narrow victory of the opposition bloc led by Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson over the incumbent and a loose coalition supporting her Social Democrats.
Read More: Swedish Nationalist Set to Take His Party From Pariah to Power
“If Ulf Kristersson’s alternative doesn’t hold, I am ready to lead,” Andersson said, adding that she has no plans to step down as leader of the Social Democrats. “Sweden will be only one or two votes away from a government crisis,” she said.
Kristersson, 58, is slated to lead a government with support from a very slim majority in parliament, like the one Andersson governed with, which has led to several tumultuous years in Swedish politics.
The Moderate leader has started talks with three parties that backed his candidacy, including the nationalists — who are now the country’s second largest political force after the Social Democrats. With voters anxious about a gang-fueled crime wave, the Sweden Democrats vowed to “make Sweden safe again,” by introducing longer prison terms and reducing immigration to a minimum. The opposition also pledged to build new nuclear plants.
“I am now starting the process to form a new, forceful government for all of Sweden and all citizens,” Kristersson said in a Facebook video. “There is a large frustration in society: fear over violence, worries about the economy. The world is very uncertain and the political polarization have become too large, even in Sweden.”
The main obstacle facing Kristersson as he seeks to take over Andersson’s job is to square differences between the Sweden Democrats and the much smaller Liberals, who seek to keep the nationalists as far as possible from power.
While the Sweden Democrats garnered more votes than the Moderates, Kristersson remains the top candidate for the premiership, as a government led by nationalist leader Jimmie Akesson would be opposed by a majority in parliament.
“The Swedish people have voted for change,” Akesson said in a Facebook post. “The process to make Sweden nice again starts. It is time to start rebuilding the safety, welfare and cohesion. It is time to put Sweden first.”
(Updates with comments from opposition leader in seventh paragraph.)
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