Sweden's centre-left opposition parties maintained a narrow lead over the incumbent right-wing governing bloc Wednesday as the counting of remaining ballots resumed following Sunday's parliamentary election.
With less than 1% of districts left to count at 1536 GMT, parties led by opposition leader Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats appeared set to win 176 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag, signalling a potential change of government. The right-wing governing bloc of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, which includes the far-right Sweden Democrats, was on track to win 173 seats, according to data from Sweden's election authority.
The count remained tight throughout the day. The left's lead briefly moved to within a single-seat majority before bouncing back as more votes were accounted for. The election authority said it was counting late incoming ballots from domestic and overseas sources, a process that may continue until Thursday before all votes are fully accounted for.
The distribution of seats in parliament so far aligns with data released earlier in the week. The narrow margin between the two blocs meant the final outcome remained uncertain as counting proceeded.