Sweden's migration crackdown risks collapse after left-wing bloc wins general election

Sweden's left-wing bloc has narrowly defeated the ruling right-wing coalition in the country's general election, opening the door to the collapse of its migration crackdown.

The country's public broadcaster SVT now projects former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson to win 175 seats in the Riksdag, the country's 349-seat parliament.

The left-wing bloc's razor-thin lead of 26,000 is unlikely to be overcome by the right-wing coalition, led by incumbent Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

The election happened on September 13, but late incoming ballots from home and abroad have prolonged the counting process.

The projected result could halt the current coalition's push to curb migration.

Mr Kristersson's bloc is made up of the Moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals, with a confidence and supply agreement from the right-wing Sweden Democrats (SD).

Despite the SD being the largest right-wing party in the Riksdag, receiving 20.5 per cent of the vote in 2022, it has never been in government.

Prior to the election, the Prime Minister pledged to bring the SD into government for the first time if the right retained control.

Mr Kristersson said the party could be trusted after it supported the Government's criminal justice and migration reforms which have reduced net immigration to its lowest levels since 1984.

But the SD lost an estimated 11 seats, likely as a result of tactical voting.

In its efforts to hit zero migration, the country has offered 350,000 krona (£26,000) for eligible foreign residents to permanently leave.

Sweden has deported more British citizens than any other European country post-Brexit, ordering more than 2,000 Britons to leave the country.

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Sweden Democrats MP Richard Jomshof said there was a group of voters who appreciated the party's anti-immigration policies but "emotionally have a hard time accepting us".

Ms Andersson will now have to manage the ideological differences in her bloc, which includes the Social Democrats, Left Party, Centre Party and Green Party.

The Left Party, with historic ties to communists, bolstered its number of seats in the Riksdag to 30 and has called to be given top ministerial gigs in the newly-formed Government.

But the Centre Party's leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, has warned against the "fringes" - The Left Party and SD - dominating the Government.

Though despite the left coalition's victory, some predict Sweden may not return to previous open-door policies of previous decades.

"I believe the broader shift towards a stricter Swedish migration policy is, for the most part, here to stay," Niklas Bohlin, political scientist at the Mid-Sweden University told Reuters.

Swedes identified peace, security, the future of European democracy, climate change and the economy as the most pressing issues facing them, according to STV.

In theory, any grouping of political parties could assemble the next Swedish Government, but the current blocs are likely to hold.