Germany

Berlin, September 15, 2026. The German press is covering the Swedish election of Sunday, September 13, as an election without a clear winner, where the formation of a government is already expected to be complicated. Tagesschau sums up the atmosphere: "Es wird ein spannender Herbst" ("it will be a thrilling autumn"), quoting outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who promises to "take it calmly" before engaging in discussions. According to the Electoral Authority, after counting 94% of the votes, the opposition bloc led by Magdalena Andersson would obtain 176 seats out of 349, against 173 for the outgoing coalition and its supporters. DW and Tagesschau recall that this result remains provisional: the definitive winner will only be known on Wednesday, September 16, after the count of foreign and late postal votes.

The decline of the Sweden Democrats is a central topic in the comments. The far-right party falls to around 17.5% of the vote, compared to 20.5% in 2022, losing its second place to Kristersson's Moderates. The FAZ emphasizes that this decline occurs even though Kristersson had broken a taboo by announcing that he wanted to integrate the Sweden Democrats directly into the government for the first time, rather than just relying on their parliamentary support. The Handelsblatt recalls that around eight million Swedes were called to the polls and that the opposition's lead, which was clearly larger in the polls before the vote, narrowed in the last days of the campaign. According to the FAZ, Kristersson did not immediately comment on the result; the Swedish daily Aftonbladet reports that he is still trying to gather a majority, possibly by trying to attract the Center Party to the Tidö camp, an option that the party categorically excludes.

But the German newspapers also insist on the fragility of the camp that came out on top. Andersson will have to reconcile the Left Party, which demands a government post, and the Center Party, which categorically refuses to sit with the socialists. The Handelsblatt recalls that the campaign focused on immigration, gang crime, and tougher sentences, with the conservative camp claiming a decrease in shootings as an achievement of its mandate.

For German commentators, the result does not change Sweden's pro-Western and pro-Ukrainian orientation, but it will settle the question of whether the country continues its shift towards a tougher migration policy, which began in 2022.