Late votes could decide Sweden election

Late advance and overseas votes could determine the outcome of Sweden’s 2026 election, SVT reports. The opposition currently leads the Tidö parties by one seat, with 175 mandates to 174.

SVT’s projection showed a gap of only around 20,000 votes between the blocs at about 10.30pm on Sunday. The official count was similarly close shortly after 11pm.

The Election Authority said the preliminary count may not be complete until Wednesday or Thursday. Late advance votes and overseas ballots are expected to be counted by then, according to Lars Aden Lisinski, a press secretary at the authority.

The delay is due to late deliveries of advance ballots by PostNord. Around 20 municipalities are affected, most of them in the Stockholm region, PostNord press chief Anders Porelius said.

More than 3.6 million Swedes voted in advance this year, a record. Porelius said the volume was higher than forecast. Deliveries continued throughout Sunday, with the final ones arriving at around 5pm.

Political scientist Sören Holmberg said close elections have previously been decided by late votes. He pointed to the 1979 election, when so-called Wednesday votes determined the result. A similar outcome this year is possible, he said, while stressing that nothing has been decided.