Swedish opposition holds big lead ahead of September vote, poll shows


Magdalena Andersson, former Prime Minister of Sweden, speaks during the Global Progressive Mobilisation in Barcelona, Spain, April 18, 2026. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

(Corrects first graphic ⁠to show missing data from latest poll, edits ⁠third graphic to remove extraneous word from headline)

STOCKHOLM, ‌Aug 18 (Reuters) - Sweden's centre-left opposition holds a 10 percentage point lead over the ruling right-wing coalition ahead of a September 13 ​election, making a change of government ⁠likely, according to an ⁠opinion poll conducted on behalf of public broadcaster SVT.

No ⁠government has ‌ever bridged a gap this wide in such a short time, and "only a miracle" ⁠could now prevent defeat for Prime Minister ​Ulf Kristersson and ‌his four-party coalition, SVT reported on Tuesday.

The August ⁠3-16 survey ​of some 3,000 voters showed Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson would likely become prime minister again after four ⁠years in opposition, replacing Kristersson of ​the right-wing Moderates.

Sweden's four left-leaning parties had a combined 53.9% backing, estimated to give them 196 seats, while the ⁠coalition government stood at 43.9%, or 153 seats, according to the survey conducted by the Verian polling firm.

The campaign has focused on cost of living issues ​as well as security, immigration, crime ⁠and energy supply.

The Social Democrats maintained their position as ​Sweden's biggest party with 30.5% ‌support, an increase of 0.2 percentage ​points in the 2022 election.

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom and Terje Solsvik; editing by Niklas Pollard)

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