Sweden's left-wing opposition leads right-wing bloc in first exit poll

Sweden's 2026 parliamentary election remained too close to call Sunday night, with only about 20,000 votes separating the left- and right-wing blocs in the latest forecast by public broadcaster SVT.

The Social Democrats, Green Party, Left Party and Center Party are projected to win a combined 175 seats in the 349-seat parliament, compared with 174 seats for the Moderate Party, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and Liberals.

The razor-thin margin means the balance between the blocs could still change as votes continue to be counted.

According to an exit poll published Sunday evening, the Social Democrats, Green Party, Left Party, and Center Party secured a combined 51.3% of the votes, compared with 46.8% for the Moderate Party, Christian Democrats, Liberals, and Sweden Democrats.

The Social Democrats remain the largest party in the exit poll, receiving 27.6%, although this represents a decline from the 30.3% they won in the 2022 parliamentary election.

The Moderates are projected to finish second with 19.8%, narrowly ahead of the Sweden Democrats, who received 17.2%.

In 2022, the Sweden Democrats won 17.7%, while the Moderates received 19.1%.

The Left Party is projected to become Sweden's fourth-largest party with 8.2%, up from 6.8% in the 2022 election.

The Center Party also appears to have gained ground, reaching 7.2%, compared with 6.7% in 2022.

The Christian Democrats are projected to receive 6.2%, up from 5.3% four years ago.

The Liberals, meanwhile, stand at 5.4%, comfortably above Sweden's 4% parliamentary threshold.

The exit poll is not the final election result, and the balance between the blocs could change as votes are counted.

Late early votes and ballots cast from abroad are expected to be counted Wednesday or Thursday.