Sweden votes in close election as far right eyes government role

Swedes voted on Sunday in a general election that will determine whether the far-right Sweden Democrats enter government for the first time or the left-wing opposition returns to power. Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. local time (06:00 GMT) and were set to close at 8:00 p.m. (18:00 GMT), with exit polls expected shortly after. The election presents a stark choice for the Scandinavian nation. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's four-party right-wing alliance, which includes the Sweden Democrats, faces a challenge from the four-party left-wing bloc led by the Social Democrats. Opinion polls showed a long left-wing lead that narrowed to a dead heat in the final days of the campaign. Opposition leader Magdalena Andersson, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2022, framed the vote as a pivotal moment. "It is now up to 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 in Sweden before? Or should we have a government led by me?" she told reporters after voting.