Key facts
- Sweden's ruling right-wing coalition government is trailing center-left opposition parties ahead of the September 13 parliamentary election.
- The gap between the two sides has narrowed since June.
- Support for the opposition parties stands at 50.6%, while the governing bloc has 46.9%.
- The Liberal party, a junior coalition member, polled 2.4%, below the 4% threshold to win seats.
- The Social Democrats are polling at 30.2%, and the Moderate Party at 16.8%.
STOCKHOLM, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Sweden's ruling right-wing coalition government is lagging center-left opposition parties ahead of the September 13 parliamentary election, but the gap between the two sides has narrowed since June, a new opinion poll showed. The July 29 to August 10 survey, published by the daily Svenska Dagbladet, indicated that Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson may again become prime minister after four years in opposition, replacing Ulf Kristersson of the right-wing Moderates. The election campaign is focusing on cost of living, security, immigration, crime, and energy supply. Support for the four opposition parties, led by Andersson's Social Democrats, stood at 50.6%, an increase from the 48.9% they won in the 2022 election, according to the survey of 2,016 voters by pollster Demoskop. The backing for Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's governing bloc, which includes the closely aligned far-right Sweden Democrats, was 46.9%, a decrease from the 49.6% they won in the last election four years ago. In a blow to the government's prospects, junior coalition member the Liberals polled just 2.4%, well below the 4% threshold required to win seats in the Riksdag. Andersson's Social Democrats were set to win 30.2% of the vote, compared to 30.3% four years ago, while the Moderate Party could see a decline to 16.8% from 19.1% over the same period. It remains unclear which opposition parties Andersson would form a government with, but a shift in power would likely involve increased welfare spending with no significant changes to immigration, defense, or support for Ukraine. The Sweden Democrats, who aim to join the cabinet for the first time if the right-wing bloc wins, had 20.2% support, down from 20.5%. Their leader, Jimmie Akesson, has stated his party's intention to hold several major ministerial posts.