2026 Swedish general election

2026 Swedish general election
13 September 2026
All 349 seats to the Riksdag
175 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
 
Leader Magdalena Andersson Jimmie Åkesson Ulf Kristersson
Prime minister
Party Social Democrats Sweden Democrats Moderate
Alliance Tidö Tidö
Last election 107 seats, 30.3% 73 seats, 20.5% 68 seats, 19.1%
Current seats 106 70 66
 
Leader Nooshi Dadgostar Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist Ebba Busch
Party Left Centre Christian Democrats
Alliance Tidö
Last election 24 seats, 6.8% 24 seats, 6.7% 19 seats, 5.3%
Current seats 21 24 19
 
Leader Amanda Lind
Daniel Helldén		 Simona Mohamsson
Party Green Liberals
Alliance Tidö
Last election 18 seats, 5.1% 16 seats, 4.6%
Current seats 18 16
Incumbent Government

Kristersson cabinet
M–KD–L (SD C&S)


General elections will be held in Sweden on 13 September 2026 to elect the 349 members of the Riksdag. They in turn will elect the prime minister.

Background

After the 2022 general election, a right-wing bloc consisting of the Moderates (M), Christian Democrats (KD), Liberals (L) and Sweden Democrats (SD) secured a narrow majority of seats in the Riksdag. One month of negotiations between them followed, leading to the Tidö Agreement that allowed the M party leader Ulf Kristersson to become prime minister and lead the Kristersson cabinet. It was a minority government of M, KD and L with confidence and supply from SD.[1] During the following term, the four parties became known as the Tidö parties.[2]

The 2026 general election will be the first parliamentary election in Sweden since the country acceded to NATO on 7 March 2024, after more than 200 years of military non-alignment.[3][4] Sweden applied for NATO membership together with Finland in 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[4][5]

On 30 July 2026, the election was available for Swedish citizens who reside abroad.[6] Following the 2026 Fagersta school attack on 21 August 2026, several party leaders cancelled planned speeches ahead of the election.[7] On the morning after the attack, more than 70 people, including Ulf Kristersson, Magdalena Andersson, Simona Mohamsson, and Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist gathered at a memorial site for the victims of the attack carrying flowers and lighting candles.[8][9]

Electoral system

The Riksdag is made up of 349 seats elected by open list proportional representation,[10] with an electoral threshold of 4% of the national vote or alternatively 12% within a single constituency. Of the 349 seats, 310 are elected from 29 constituencies ranging in size from 2 to 40 seats, while the other 39 seats are apportioned nationally as levelling seats to ensure parties that passed the 4% national threshold hold a proportional number of seats; these levelling seats are allocated to particular districts. If a party wins more constituency seats than it is entitled to overall, a redistribution of constituency seats may occur to reduce the number of constituency seats won by that party.[11]

General elections are held on a fixed date, the second Sunday of September, at the same time as the municipal and regional elections.[12][13][14] If early elections are called, the newly elected legislature only serves out the remainder of the four-year term begun by the previous legislature.

Political parties

The table below lists political parties represented in the Riksdag after the 2022 general election.

Abbr. Name Ideology Political position Leader 2022 result Pre-election
Votes (%) Seats
S Swedish Social Democratic Party
Socialdemokraterna		 Social democracy Centre-left Magdalena Andersson 30.3%
107 / 349
106 / 349
SD Sweden Democrats
Sverigedemokraterna		 Right-wing populism Right-wing to far-right Jimmie Åkesson 20.5%
73 / 349
70 / 349
M Moderate Party
Moderaterna		 Liberal conservatism Centre-right Ulf Kristersson 19.1%
68 / 349
66 / 349
V Left Party
Vänsterpartiet		 Socialism Left-wing Nooshi Dadgostar 6.8%
24 / 349
21 / 349
C Centre Party
Centerpartiet		 Liberalism Centre to centre-right Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist 6.7%
24 / 349
24 / 349
KD Christian Democrats
Kristdemokraterna		 Christian democracy Right-wing Ebba Busch 5.3%
19 / 349
19 / 349
MP Green Party
Miljöpartiet		 Green politics Centre-left Amanda Lind
Daniel Helldén		 5.1%
18 / 349
18 / 349
L Liberals
Liberalerna		 Conservative liberalism Centre-right Simona Mohamsson 4.6%
16 / 349
16 / 349
N/a Independents N/a
9 / 349

Independents

Before the election, there were nine members of parliament who had left their party, becoming independents.[15] Each member had an individual mandate, so their party couldn't force them to resign.[15] Nine independents was more than the Riksdag had ever had before.[15]

Member Party Ref.
From To
Jamal El-Haj Social Democrats Unity Party
Arin Karapet Moderate Party Sweden Democrats
Marléne Lund Kopparklint
Elsa Widding Sweden Democrats Ambition Sweden
Katja Nyberg
Sara-Lena Bjälkö Christian Democrats
Lorena Delgado Varas Left Party Future Left
Daniel Riazat
Momodou Malcolm Jallow

Campaign

In 2025 the Tidö parties – Sweden Democrats, Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals – announced their intention to continue their cooperation after the 2026 election.[23] How they were going to cooperate was unclear, as the Sweden Democrats said they would vote against any government which did not grant them cabinet positions, while the Liberals said they would continue to block the Sweden Democrats from receiving cabinet positions.[23][24][25]

On 13 March 2026, the Liberals and the Sweden Democrats announced an agreement ("The Sweden Promise") which would give the Sweden Democrats cabinet positions if the Tidö coalition received a majority of seats.[26] The agreement also included policy goals they would cooperate on, including a national referendum on adopting the Euro as currency, coinciding with the 2030 general election.[26][27][2] Before the election, the Left Party said they would vote against any government where they did not receive cabinet positions.[28] Former minister and contender for the leadership of the Liberals Birgitta Ohlsson announced, on 18 March 2026, that she would be a parliamentary candidate for the Centre party.[29] On 20 March, former Liberal leader (1997–2007) Lars Leijonborg announced his return to politics as a parliamentary candidate for the Liberals.[30]

Debates

2026 Swedish general election debates
Date Time
(CEST)		 Organizers Moderator  P  Present    I  Invitee  N  Non-invitee  Ref.
S M SD C V KD L MP
17 Aug 20:00–22:00 Expressen
Dagens industri		 Ylva Johansson
Viktor Barth-Kron		 P
Magdalena Andersson		 P
Ulf Kristersson		 P
Jimmie Åkesson		 P
Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist		 P
Nooshi Dadgostar		 P
Ebba Busch		 P
Simona Mohamsson		 P
Amanda Lind		 [31]
4 Sep 16:00–17:45 SR Johar Bendjelloul

Mikael Sjödell

 I
Magdalena Andersson		 I
Ulf Kristersson		 I
Jimmie Åkesson		 I
Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist		 I
Nooshi Dadgostar		 I
Ebba Busch		 I
Simona Mohamsson		 I
Amanda Lind or Daniel Helldén		 [32]
9 Sep 20:00–21:30 SVT Elisabeth Marmorstein
Fouad Youcefi		 I
Magdalena Andersson		 I
Ulf Kristersson		 N N N N N N [33]
10 Sep 20:00–22:00 TV4 Ann Tiberg
Jenny Strömstedt		 I
Magdalena Andersson		 I
Ulf Kristersson		 I
Jimmie Åkesson		 I
Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist		 I
Nooshi Dadgostar		 I
Ebba Busch		 I
Simona Mohamsson		 I
Amanda Lind or Daniel Helldén		 [34]
11 Sep 20:00–22:00 SVT Elisabeth Marmorstein
Fouad Youcefi		 I
Magdalena Andersson		 I
Ulf Kristersson		 I
Jimmie Åkesson		 I
Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist		 I
Nooshi Dadgostar		 I
Ebba Busch		 I
Simona Mohamsson		 I
Amanda Lind or Daniel Helldén		 [35]
12 Sep 20:00–22:00 TV4 Anders Pihlblad
Ann Tiberg		 I
Magdalena Andersson		 I
Ulf Kristersson		 N N N N N N [34]

Opinion polls

Graphical summary

  S
  SD
  M
  V
  C
  KD
  MP
  L

See also

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Henley, Jon (14 October 2022). "Swedish parties agree coalition with backing of far-right". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Liberals will allow the far-right Sweden Democrats into government". The Local Sweden. TT. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  3. ↑ "Sweden officially joins NATO". NATO. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Sweden joins NATO as war in Ukraine prompts security rethink". Reuters. 8 March 2024.
  5. ↑ Chatterjee, Phelan (11 July 2023). "How Sweden and Finland went from neutral to Nato". BBC.
  6. ↑ Emilia Lindholm, Kerstin Siwertsson (3 July 2026). "Utlandssvenskar först ut att rösta i valet 2026" (in Swedish). SVT Nyheter. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Badshah, Nadeem (22 August 2026). "Seventeen-year-old girl killed in sword attack at school in Sweden". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Heidvall, Text: Tora; Wiman, Sara Schwartz; Holm, Gusten (22 August 2026). "Flera riksdagspartiledare har samlats i Fagersta för att visa sitt stöd efter fredagens skolattack". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Sword attack at Swedish school kills 17-year-old girl, injures 3 others, police say - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 22 August 2026. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Sweden Riksdagen (Parliament)". Parline. 1 November 2017. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  11. ↑ "Vallag (2005:837) Svensk författningssamling 2005:2005:837 t.o.m. SFS 2021:1328". Riksdagen (in Swedish). 15 May 2016. Avdelning IV. Fördelning av mandat, 14 kap. Fördelning av mandat, 4 a §. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  12. ↑ "Elections in Sweden: The way it's done" (PDF). Election Authority. Solna. 7 October 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  13. ↑ "The Swedish electoral system". Valmyndigheten (in Swedish). 16 September 2018. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  14. ↑ "The 2022 election". Riksdag. 31 August 2022. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022. Parliamentary elections will take place on 11 September. On this day voters will have the opportunity to decide which candidates will represent them in the Riksdag over the next four years. On the same day, there are elections to municipalities and regional councils.
  15. 1 2 3 Pettersson, Hanna (1 May 2026). "Rekordmånga vildar i riksdagen – orsakar kris och debatt" [Record number of independents in the Riksdag – causes crisis and debate]. DN (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 30 April 2026.
  16. ↑ Ljunggren, Signe (18 February 2026). "Inget val för El-Hajs nystartade parti" [No election for El-Hajs new party]. SR (in Swedish). P4.
  17. ↑ Åhman, Emma; Karlsson, Max V; Holmqvist, Anette (27 March 2026). "M-avhopparnas egna ord – lämnar för SD" [M-leavers own words – leaves for SD]. Expressen (in Swedish).
  18. ↑ Dahlqvist, Maria (27 March 2026). "Värmländska M-ledamoten Marléne Lund Kopparklint byter till SD". SVT (in Swedish).
  19. ↑ Stenquist, Victor (15 April 2026). "Elsa Widding om Katja Nyberg: 'Ska ge en andra chans'" [Elsa Widding on Katja Nyberg: "Will give a second chance"] (in Swedish). Aftonbladet.
  20. ↑ "Hon lämnar SD i riksdagen – byter parti" [She leaves SD in the Riksdag – switches party]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). TT. 23 December 2025.
  21. ↑ Nilsson, Erik (5 December 2025). "Politiska vildar i riksdagen startar partiet Framtidens vänster" [Political independents in the Riksdag start the party Future Left]. SVT (in Swedish).
  22. ↑ Gripenberg, Pia (26 August 2026). "Malcolm Momodou Jallow till Framtidens vänster" [Malcolm Momodou Jallow to Future Left]. DN (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  23. 1 2 Heimersson, Alicia; Holmqvist, Anette (9 December 2025). "Tidöpartiernas sju punkter – presenterar 'Strängnäspappret'". Expressen (in Swedish).
  24. ↑ Holmqvist, Anette (26 October 2025). "Kravet: Då röstar vi nej till Kristersson" [The requirement: Then we'll vote no on Kristersson]. Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  25. ↑ Anderberg, Cecilia; Karlsson, Max V; Bratell, Johan; Gullberg, Anna (10 October 2025). "Därför säger L nej till SD i regering". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  26. 1 2 Norman, Erik (13 March 2026). "L och SD överens – här är alla punkter". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  27. ↑ Åhman, Emma (13 March 2026). "15 punkter: Det här är SD och L överens om". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  28. ↑ Nilsson, Erik; Ingmo, Daniel; Blomström, Emma (30 September 2025). "Kravet från Vänsterpartiet: Ministerposter eller röd knapp". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  29. ↑ Nilsson, Mimmi; Lindvall, Julia (18 March 2026). "Birgitta Ohlsson kandiderar för Centerpartiet i valet" [Birgitta Ohlsson is a candidate for the Centre party in the election]. SVT (in Swedish).
  30. ↑ Norberg, Jonathan; Britts, Malvina (20 March 2026). "Lars Leijonborg gör comeback i Liberalerna" [Lars Leijonborg makes a comeback in the Liberals]. SVT (in Swedish).
  31. ↑ Åhman, Emma (17 August 2026). "Här är ämnena i kvällens debatt". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  32. ↑ "Sveriges Radios slutdebatt". kulturhusetstadsteatern.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  33. ↑ Sweden, Sveriges Television AB, Stockholm. Val 2026: Statsministermötet (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 August 2026 – via www.svtplay.se.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. 1 2 "Så bevakar TV4 valet 2026". TV4. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  35. ↑ Sweden, Sveriges Television AB, Stockholm. Val 2026: Slutdebatten (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 August 2026 – via www.svtplay.se.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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