Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has accepted defeat and handed over his resignation to the the speaker of parliament.
Andersson, who became Sweden’s first female prime minister last year, announced on Wednesday that she would resign after her opponents appeared on course to win the general election.
The Moderates, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats, and Liberals are looked set to win 176 seats in the 349-seat parliament to the center-left’s 173 seats, according to the latest figures from the election authority.
During a news conference, Andersson said that although the last votes were still being counted, it was clear the right would win a majority of seats “so tomorrow I will hand in my resignation as prime minister”.
“In parliament, they have a one or two seat advantage,” Andersson told a news conference. “It’s a thin majority, but it is a majority.”
Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderate Party, is the right’s candidate to be prime minister.
“I will now start the work of forming a new government that can get things done, a government for all of Sweden and all citizens,” Kristersson told reporters.
Jimmie Akesson, leader of the populist Sweden Democrats, said his party would be “a constructive and driving force in this work” of rebuilding safety in Sweden. He said it was “time to put Sweden first”.
The election marks a watershed in Swedish politics with the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, a party with roots in the white supremacist fringe, on the threshold of gaining influence over government policy.
BY ALJAZEERA