Swedish opposition holds narrow edge as election remains too close to call

Sweden woke up to an election cliffhanger, with an early tally suggesting the opposition centre-left bloc has edged ahead by the slimmest of margins.

A partial count released by the election authority indicated that the left-leaning alliance led by Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson was on track for 176 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag. The projection was based on returns from 6,195 of Sweden’s 6,312 election districts.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing governing bloc was projected to win 173 seats as counting continued, with final results not expected before Wednesday at the earliest.

Although the outcome is not expected to alter Sweden’s broadly pro-Western and pro-Ukraine direction, it could determine whether Mr Kristersson’s drive toward a tougher, hard-right approach on migration carries on — or intensifies.