Swedish right coalition parties set to form gov. after elections win

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Following the defeat of Sweden's Social Democratic party to a coalition of right and far-right parties, resulting in the resignation of PM Magdalena Andersson, the leader of the Moderate party Ulf Kristersson is set to form a new government on Thursday.

Following the elections win, Kristresson stated in a Facebook post that new government negotiations are a "process that will take the time it needs" adding, "Now the work begins of making Sweden great again"

Resigned PM Andersson has accepted defeat in the weekend's general elections, announcing plans to resign on September 15, arguing that "The preliminary result is clear enough to draw a conclusion" as she made the announcement in a news conference on Wednesday.

"The four right-wing parties appear to have received just under 50 percent of the votes in the election, and in the Riksdag, they have gained one or two mandates. A thin majority, but it is a majority," Andersson said.

The right-wing Sweden Democrats, Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals claimed 176 seats in Stockholm's parliament, with a narrow majority over the left with 173 seats.

The Swedish right's win was celebrated by the head of Italy's anti-immigrant League, Matteo Salvani, "Even in beautiful and democratic Sweden, the left is defeated and sent home."

Sweden's Democratic party sprung from a neo-Nazi ideology in the 1980s, entering parliament in 2010 with only a meager 5.7% of votes. 

The rise of the right in Sweden is becoming increasingly brazen and visible, from the country's gradual accession to NATO, to the rise in popularity of right-wing parties, notably the Sweden Democrats which have been betting on unseating the Social Democrats current in Stockholm in Sunday's general election

The rise in right-wing popularity does not come as a surprise, especially since Sweden looks to join NATO, an intercontinental violent, reactionary force of imperialism. Sweden, for two centuries, had been militarily non-aligned until this year.

Read more: Sweden Social Democrats divided on joining NATO

Commenting on the results, Gothenburg University political scientist Mikael Gilljam told AFP, "This is a difficult parliamentary situation, and then you have parties that don't like each other, the Sweden Democrats and the Liberals."

It's noteworthy that the last time Sweden elected a Social Democrat prime minister was in October 2014, after which Andersson took over in November 2021.

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