Election Day is over—but the power struggle has only just begun. From the final votes to the possibility of a runoff election, several key dates lie ahead that could determine who will lead Sweden.
The close election has left the question of who will form the government unresolved. On Monday afternoon, about 33,000 votes separated the two blocs, while votes still remain to be counted.
September 16: The First Thriller
On Wednesday, the municipal election boards will begin counting votes cast abroad and late absentee ballots. In the last election, these so-called “Wednesday votes” totaled over 200,000.
The county administrative boards usually finish counting the votes about a week after the election. After that, the distribution of seats is determined, and it is decided who will take their seats in the Riksdag.
September 28: The Riksdag convenes
On September 28, the newly elected members of the Riksdag will convene and elect a Speaker. The following day, the Riksdag will open its new session—and the Speaker may propose a new prime minister.
October 12: This is where the "no" votes will decide the outcome
By October 12 at the latest, the Speaker must have presented at least one candidate for prime minister. However, the candidate does not need to receive the explicit support of a majority—what matters is how many people actively vote against the candidate.
To block the candidate, at least 175 “no” votes are required. If, for example, 165 vote “yes,” 174 vote “no,” and 10 abstain or are absent, the candidate is still approved. This paves the way for governments that are tolerated by political parties without those parties having to vote “yes.”.
If four prime ministerial nominations fail, a special election will be held. As a result, just a few seats or invalid votes could prove decisive in determining who forms the government.
November 12: The budget is pending
The fall budget is to be presented no later than November 12.
Election Day was, in other words, just the beginning. Now we face weeks in which Sweden’s government and political direction will be decided.
The betrayal of the country continues in the same vein. And by the next election, the electoral system probably won’t have been changed at all, even though there are models that could at least somewhat reduce the risk of election fraud.
It's all a charade in which the people are left holding the short end of the stick, and the ruling establishment will do everything in its power to make sure that the people keep holding the short end of the stick!