Sweden may wait long for new gov't as opposition has narrow lead in tight election - The Korea Times

Sweden may face a long wait for a new government after preliminary results on Monday showed the left-leaning opposition narrowly ahead in Stockholm. With nearly 95 percent of districts counted, the opposition was projected to win 176 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag, compared with 173 for the governing bloc. Final clarity may depend on overseas ballots counted on Wednesday, and coalition talks are expected to be difficult.

Tobias Baudin, party secretary of the Social Democrats, speaks with the media in Stockholm, Monday, the day after Sweden's very close general election. Reuters-Yonhap

STOCKHOLM — Sweden may face a long wait for a new government as preliminary election results on Monday showed a thin and still-uncertain lead for the left-leaning opposition, while a hard-right anti-immigration party saw its support slip.

With nearly 95 percent of districts counted, the Swedish Election Authority reported that the four opposition parties were heading for 176 seats in the 349-seat parliament in Stockholm, the Riksdag, with 173 seats going to the four parties that make up or support the outgoing conservative-led government.

But the outcome may not be clear until early votes, including overseas ballots, which didn't make it to polling stations by Election Day, are counted on Wednesday.