Sweden‘s center-left parties, which back Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson for prime minister, held an early lead with 51.3% of the vote in a parliamentary election on Sunday, an exit poll by broadcaster SVT showed.
\n\nEarly results from the Swedish Election Authority are expected within hours after polls closed at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT). A separate election-day poll conducted by broadcaster TV4 also showed the centre-left in the lead.
\n\nIf the center-left’s lead is confirmed by official results, it would halt Sweden‘s recent rightward drift away from its liberal traditions in an election that many analysts viewed as a referendum on the Sweden Democrats, a grouping with roots in the neo-Nazi fringe.
\n\nSwedish exit polls, while often indicative of the final outcome, have not always proved accurate. In 2022, an exit poll projected Andersson’s bloc would prevail, but the election was ultimately won by a right-wing coalition headed by Ulf Kristersson, who is now Sweden‘s prime minister.
\n\nAs exit poll readings were broadcast, cheering broke out at the election gatherings of the centre-left parties while the outcome was met with silence among the far-right Sweden Democrats, with the exit polls indicating a setback after they boosted their vote share over…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business