Possibility of First Female Prime Minister's Re-election in Sweden General Election

(Photo by AFP)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Magdalena Andersson, who was elected as Sweden's first female prime minister last November, is increasingly likely to be reappointed.

According to major foreign media such as CNBC on the 11th (local time), exit polls from the Swedish parliamentary general election showed that the ruling center-left coalition led by Andersson of the Social Democratic Party was slightly ahead within the margin of error.

According to the exit poll results released at 8 p.m. by Swedish public broadcaster SVT, the ruling center-left coalition received 49.8% of the vote, slightly ahead of the opposition right-wing coalition's 49.2%.

The ruling Social Democratic Party was expected to receive 29.3%, while the recently rising far-right Sweden Democrats were expected to receive 20.5% of the vote.

Commercial broadcaster TV4's exit poll also showed the center-left coalition with 50.6% of the vote, ahead of the opposition right-wing coalition's 48.0%. The ruling Social Democratic Party was projected to receive 29.7%, and the far-right Sweden Democrats 21.3%.

However, foreign media reported that in Sweden, exit poll results often differ significantly from the final results, and since the vote difference is within the margin of error, the official count must be awaited.

All eight parties?four in the center-left coalition including the Social Democratic Party, and four in the right-wing coalition including the far-right Sweden Democrats?are expected to have a very close contest in terms of seats.

According to SVT's exit poll, out of a total of 349 seats, the center-left coalition is projected to secure 176 seats, while the right-wing coalition is expected to get 173 seats.

The Swedish parliament has been evenly split with 174 seats each for the ruling and opposition parties.

The Sweden Democrats, who received only 13% of the vote in the last general election, are expected to achieve their highest vote share ever this time, but the election headquarters reportedly showed disappointment as their chances of leading a new coalition government have diminished, according to the AP news agency.

Prime Minister Andersson, a former swimmer and economics expert, entered politics in 1996 as an advisor to Prime Minister G?ran Persson after studying economics at the Stockholm School of Economics and Harvard University in the United States.

She is considered a close aide and successor to former Prime Minister Stefan L?fven and was appointed Minister of Finance in 2014. Known for her strong drive, she is also nicknamed the "bulldozer."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.