By Terje Solsvik and Anna Ringstrom
STOCKHOLM, Sept 13 (Reuters) – Sweden’s centre-left parties, which back Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson for prime minister, held an early lead at 51.3% in a parliamentary election on Sunday, an exit poll by broadcaster SVT showed.
Early results from the Swedish Election Authority were expected within hours. A separate election-day poll conducted by broadcaster TV4 also showed the centre-left in the lead.
While often indicative of the final outcome, Swedish exit polls have not always proved accurate. In 2022, for example, an exit poll projected Andersson’s bloc would prevail, but the election was ultimately won by a right-wing coalition headed by Ulf Kristersson, who is now Sweden’s prime minister.
A victory by the right-wing bloc would bring the far-right Sweden Democrats, polling at 17.2% in the SVT reading, into government for the first time.
The vote is seen by many as a referendum on the party, a grouping with roots in the neo-Nazi fringe, that will decide whether the Nordic country of 10.6 million continues its rightward shift or moves back towards the liberalism it has long been known for.
The centre-left opposition held a narrow lead over the ruling right-wing bloc ahead of the election for parliament, several opinion surveys have shown this week.
But Kristersson, who has trailed in opinion polls throughout his four years in office, has been catching up in the final weeks of campaigning, with Andersson and her Social Democrats losing ground.
Critics say Kristersson’s government is undermining civil liberties while forcing immigrants to conform more closely to Swedish cultural norms or leave the country, urged on by both inducements and penalties.
Electoral success for the Sweden Democrats would be welcomed by Europe’s ascendant far-right parties, which are riding high after the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany’s win in a German state election last week.
The far right hopes for gains in upcoming elections across Europe, with the National Rally’s bid for the presidency of France next year the biggest potential prize yet.
(Reporting by Niklas Pollard, Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander and Tom Little; additional reporting by Ilze Filks, Ardee Napolitano, Janis Laizans for Reuters TV, Greta Rosen Fondahn, Marie Mannes, Terje Solsvik and Anna RingstromWriting by Niklas Pollard and Justyna PawlakEditing by Peter Graff, Philippa Fletcher)
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