Swedish Prime Minister admits defeat and resigns

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced her resignation on Wednesday after ruling that the partial results of the general election, which give the right-wing opposition winning a short lead with support from the far right, were “clear enough to draw conclusions”.

With only a handful of votes left to count, the Social Democrat leader, who last year became the first woman to lead Sweden, said she hopes the country can get a new government to deal with the challenges ahead, including a possible energy crisis this winter.

“They (the opposition parties) have a lead of one or two seats in parliament,” Magdalena Andersson said during a press conference. “It’s a narrow majority but it’s a majority.”

The Prime Minister indicated that she would ask the Speaker of Parliament on Thursday to relieve her of her duties.

Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderates party, one of the four formations of the right-wing bloc which also brings together the Christian Democrats, the Liberals and the far-right Sweden Democrats party, is his camp’s candidate for the post of Prime Minister .

“I will now focus on forming a new government that can deliver results, a government for all Swedes and all citizens,” he told reporters.

The final results of the poll should be announced by the end of the week.

According to the latest partial results communicated by the electoral commission, the right-wing coalition is on the way to obtaining 176 seats and the left-wing coalition 173 seats in Parliament.

(Report by Simon Johnson and Anna Ringstrom, French version Tangi Salaün, edited by Matthieu Protard)