Coalitions

The Riksdag building in Stockholm seen across the water, with trees along the embankment and a church spire behind.

Sweden Voted on Whether the Far Right Should Govern, and the Far Right Went Backwards

Sweden's centre-left opposition leads the preliminary count by 176 seats to 173, with postal and overseas votes still to come. The Social Democrats are the largest party on 28.1 percent. The Sweden Democrats, whom the prime minister had proposed bringing into government, fell to 17.6 percent, the first decline in their history.

By Cory Chamberlain 2 hours ago

The Reichstag in Berlin beneath a dark sky, with the German and European Union flags flying beside it.

The Numbers

The AfD Has Thirty-Nine Seats. Everyone Who Has Ruled It Out Has Thirty-Nine Too.

The AfD took 43.8 percent in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday and 39 of 83 seats, three short of a majority. The four parties that have ruled out governing with it hold 39 between them — exactly the same number. The balance is five seats belonging to the one party that has not ruled it out.

By Cory Chamberlain September 7, 2026

Coalitions

Tagged stories

Sweden Voted on Whether the Far Right Should Govern, and the Far Right Went Backwards

The AfD Has Thirty-Nine Seats. Everyone Who Has Ruled It Out Has Thirty-Nine Too.