Sweden votes in tight election that may bring far right into government

Swedes voted on Sunday in a parliamentary election that could bring the far-right Sweden Democrats into government for the first time, or return the country to the centre-left liberalism it has long been associated with.

Opinion polls during the week pointed to a narrow lead for the centre-left opposition over the ruling right-wing bloc, suggesting a possible change of government. But Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who has trailed in the polls throughout his four years in office, has been closing the gap in the final weeks of the campaign, while rival Magdalena Andersson and her Social Democrats have lost ground.

Polling stations in the EU member state of 10 million people opened at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT), with exit polls due shortly after they close at 1800 GMT.

Kristersson has promised to bring the Sweden Democrats into government if his bloc wins. Supporters of the right-wing bloc argue its policies have helped curb gang violence and sharply reduce immigration, and say a victory would amount to public backing for that approach in the years ahead.

"We can unify parties, voters and issues into joint action. That's why we get things done," Kristersson told reporters in parliament this week.

Critics contend the agenda is eroding civil liberties and pressuring immigrants to conform more closely to Swedish cultural norms or leave the country, through a mix of incentives and penalties.

"We've become a harder society, a quieter society, but also a poorer society as we've had growth far below our potential and where households see their pay checks buy less and less," Andersson said. "Our country has based its strength on sharing in each other's achievements and that we stick together when things are hard."

A strong showing by the Sweden Democrats would align with a broader European trend, after the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany scored a significant win in a German state election this month.

The right has already agreed to form a four-party government led by Kristersson if it wins, while Andersson's path to power is less certain. The outcome could hinge on whether the Liberals clear the 4% threshold to enter parliament, bolstering a right wing that includes the Moderates, Christian Democrats and, since being invited by Kristersson earlier this year, the Sweden Democrats.

Led by veteran party leader Jimmie Akesson, the Sweden Democrats have spent four years propping up Kristersson's minority government in parliament, building credibility with the wider right-wing bloc.

Both blocs have converged on several voter priorities, including support for Ukraine, military rearmament and relief for households hit by the cost-of-living crisis. The opposition Social Democrats, Greens, Left Party and Centre Party broadly agree on the need for higher welfare and public spending, but divisions persist on many issues, including immigration, where Andersson's party wants a more restrictive line than some of its would-be partners.

They are also at odds over a tax on billionaires and building new nuclear reactors, while the Centre Party refuses to support a government that includes the Left Party, complicating Andersson's task of forming a cabinet. Luring the Christian Democrats to switch camps to create a centrist government is favoured by the Centre Party but so far looks a distant prospect.