WorldSwedes are voting in an election that will either bring a far-right party into government for ‌the first time or shift the country back toward the liberalism it has long been known for.PM pledges to bring in far right if his ruling conservative coalition wins againThomson Reuters · Posted: Sep 12, 2026 9:06 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.A ballot is cast at an early voting station in Stockholm on Friday. (Denis Balibouse/Reuters)Swedes were voting in a closely fought election on Sunday that will either bring a far-right party into government for the first time or shift the country back towards the liberalism it has long been known for.Sweden's centre-left opposition held a narrow lead over the ruling right-wing bloc ahead of Sunday's election for parliament, several opinion polls showed this week.But Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who has trailed in opinion polls throughout his four years in office, has been catching up in the final weeks of campaigning, with rival Magdalena Andersson and her Social Democrats losing ground.Kristersson has pledged to bring the far-right Sweden Democrats into government if his bloc wins. Supporters of the right-wing bloc say its policies have helped curb gang violence and cut immigration dramatically, and that a victory would amount to a public endorsement of that approach and more in ​the same vein 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.Magdalena Andersson of the centre-left Social Democrats, left, and Ulf Kristersson of Sweden's ruling right-wing bloc are seen before a televised debate in Gavle on Wednesday. (Anders Wiklund /TT News Agency/The Associated Press)Critics counter that the agenda is undermining civil liberties while forcing immigrants to conform more closely to Swedish cultural norms or leave the country, urged on by both carrot and stick."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 told Reuters.Right-wing bloc wins narrow majority in Sweden, marking major political shift"Our country has based its strength on sharing in each other's achievements and that we stick together when things are hard."Polling stations in the EU member state of 10 million people, which joined NATO after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, opened at 8 a.m. local time, with exit polls due soon and data giving an indication of the result at around 2 p.m. ET.Johanna Tornqvist, 44, a market analyst, said she had cast her ballot for the right-wing coalition and that fears surrounding the prospect of the Sweden Democrats joining the government had been exaggerated."The most important thing is to keep the red-greens out of government," she said.People line up outside a polling station in Stockholm on Friday. (Nicklas Thegerström/TT News Agency/The Associated Press)However, Susanne Cherment, a 20-year-old student voting for the first time at a polling station in Nacka, east of Stockholm, said she had been put off by the Sweden Democrats' rhetoric."I think it's scary how many young people are drawn to the far right," she said.Electoral success for the Sweden Democrats would likely be welcomed by Europe's ascendant far-right parties, which received a significant boost earlier this month from the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany's triumph in a German state election. Another countryVoters in Rinkeby, an area in northern Stockholm designated by the police as extremely socially deprived, were worried things might get worse for them."They target Muslims. They single out Muslims and immigrants. But immigrants contribute to society," Kahin Ahmed, 57, a sociologist who came to Sweden from Somalia as a refugee, told Reuters."A quarter of those working in health care are immigrants. If immigrants stayed home for a single day, Sweden wouldn't function," he said.Over the last four years, the ruling minority coalition — backed by the Sweden Democrats — has abolished permanent residency for refugees, tightened welfare rules and boosted expulsions of those without a right to stay.Leader of the Sweden Democrats party Jimmie Åkesson votes in Rinkeby, a suburb of Stockholm, on Saturday, a day prior to the general election in Sweden. (Claudio Bresciani/TT News Agency/The Associated Press)Voting on Saturday in Rinkeby, Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson said the suburb, home to one of the country's biggest Swedish-Somali populations, "doesn't look like Sweden."The Sweden Democrats have pledged to ban both the niqab and the burqa if they get into government. Akesson told Reuters such dress "reflects values that I don't think belong in Sweden."Building a governmentThe right has already agreed to form a four-party government led by Kristersson if they win, while Andersson's path to power is more uncertain.Her Social Democrats have been losing ground in opinion polls despite support from celebrities, including ABBA's Benny Andersson, who changed the lyrics in the refrain of Mamma Mia to "Magdalena" at a rally where he performed this week.The election could ultimately be decided by whether the Liberals surpass the four per cent threshold to win seats in parliament, bolstering a right wing that includes Moderates, Christian Democrats and, since being invited by Kristersson earlier this year, Sweden Democrats.WATCH | AfD eyes national victory in Germany after state win:AfD victory in Germany sparks protest, celebrationSeptember 7|Duration 2:07A day after the far-right Alternative for Germany's (AfD) victory in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, thousands protested in Berlin over the party's stance on LGBTQ rights and immigration. Meanwhile, AfD leaders celebrated the win, saying 'Germany is back.'The Sweden Democrats have already spent four years propping up Kristersson's minority government in parliament, building credibility with the broader right-wing bloc.Meanwhile, the rival blocs have converged on several voter priorities, including support for Ukraine, military rearmament and relief for households hit by the cost-of-living crisis.While the opposition Social Democrats, Greens, Left Party and Centre Party broadly agree on the need for higher welfare and public spending, 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 issues including a tax on billionaires and the building of new nuclear reactors, while the Centre refuses to support a government that includes the Left Party, increasing the challenge Andersson would face to form a cabinet.