Sweden Democrats Drop Cabinet Demand and Clear Path for Kristersson to Stay as Prime Minister

Sweden has moved a big step closer to ending almost two months of political deadlock. On Friday, 6 November 2026, the far-right Sweden Democrats announced they are dropping their demand for seats in the cabinet and will let Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stay in office at the head of a centre-right government.

The announcement, made by party leader Jimmie Åkesson at a press conference in his hometown of Sölvesborg, removes the biggest obstacle in Sweden’s long-running talks to form a new government after the country’s September election produced a hung parliament.

“We will not be a support party,” Åkesson said. “We will not conclude any long-term agreements or promise any agreements on budgets or anything.”

Instead, the Sweden Democrats will sit in opposition for the next four years and allow Kristersson’s government to take office by abstaining — not voting against him — when parliament votes on the prime minister.

What happened on Friday

The Sweden Democrats are the second-largest party in Sweden’s parliament, the Riksdag, with 62 of its 349 seats. Until Friday, they had insisted that any government they backed must give them ministerial posts.

Åkesson said the party had accepted that there were “no conditions for being part of a government” after the election result, and that the Sweden Democrats would therefore be “in opposition until the next election.”

He was blunt about what his party would do instead: tolerate Kristersson as prime minister by abstaining in the vote, and then act as an “important wave-maker” from the opposition benches.

“A real win would be avoiding the Green Party and the Left Party in Rosenbad,” Åkesson said, referring to the government offices in central Stockholm. In other words, for his voters, keeping the left out of power matters more than holding cabinet seats.

Kristersson welcomed the move. “The Sweden Democrats’ responsible announcement is welcome and could perhaps make something that was very difficult somewhat less difficult. The talks are continuing,” Kristersson said in a written comment.

He added that the new arrangement would mean the government takes office “on the understanding that it can take responsibility for itself and seek majorities in the Riksdag.”

Why Sweden has been stuck since September

Sweden voted on 13 September 2026, and the result left no side with a clear majority.

Kristersson’s centre-right bloc won 173 seats. The opposition won 176 seats. With 349 seats in total, a majority needs 175 — so neither side could govern on its own.

The centre-left won the election in the sense that it finished ahead, but it has so far failed to agree on how to share power. The Social Democrats, led by Magdalena Andersson, need the support of both the Centre Party and the Left Party to reach a majority — and the Centre Party refuses to sit in a government with the Left Party.

At the same time, the centre-right has faced its own problem. Its path to power runs through the Centre Party, which could switch sides and support a right-wing government. But the Centre Party has repeatedly said it will not support a cabinet that includes the Sweden Democrats, or one that cooperates with them.

That left Sweden in a deadlock: the left could not form a government, and the right could not form one either.

The speaker of parliament, Andreas Norlén, gave Kristersson the task of exploring a government formation earlier this week, after the centre-left’s attempt had stalled. His mandate was due to end with a report on 10 November, but the speaker has now agreed to extend it by a few more days after Friday’s developments.

What the Centre Party wants

The Centre Party, led by Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, now holds the key to Sweden’s next government. It has said it could join a government with any party except those at the political extremes — but it has drawn a firm line against both the Sweden Democrats and the Left Party.

The party has also called for detailed policy proposals before it commits to anything. Its leaders want to see exactly what a Kristersson government would do before they decide whether to support it.

This is where Åkesson’s announcement changes the picture. By dropping the demand for cabinet seats and promising to stay out of government entirely, the Sweden Democrats have removed the Centre Party’s main objection to a centre-right government.

The question now is whether that is enough. The Centre Party has said it will not cooperate with the Sweden Democrats, and the Sweden Democrats have now said they will not sign any support agreement with the government. That leaves the possibility of a minority government that takes office without a formal deal with either party — and then has to win votes in parliament issue by issue.

Kristersson said on Friday that the announcements had made the task “a little less impossible” and that the focus could now turn to policy.

How Sweden picks a prime minister

Sweden’s system for choosing a prime minister is unusual, and it is why Friday’s announcement matters so much.

A candidate for prime minister does not need a majority of MPs to vote for them. They only need to avoid a majority voting against them. This is called “negative parliamentarism” — the prime minister is tolerated into office rather than elected by a majority.

That is why abstention is so powerful. If the Sweden Democrats abstain instead of voting against Kristersson, and the Centre Party does the same, he can take office even though neither party is part of his government.

Parliament could vote on Kristersson as early as next week. The speaker is allowed to put forward four candidates in total before a fresh election must be called. If Kristersson fails, the mandate is widely expected to go back to Andersson and the centre-left.

A reversal of a promise made in April

The Sweden Democrats’ climb-down is a big change from the position they held earlier this year.

In April, Kristersson promised the Sweden Democrats ministerial posts if the right-wing parties won the election. The party had made cabinet seats a condition of its support — and its leaders repeated that demand for months.

The Sweden Democrats have a long history as outsiders in Swedish politics. The party has roots in far-right movements of the 1980s, first entered parliament in 2010, and has grown at every election since, steadily shifting the balance of power in its favour.

In the last parliament, the party supported Kristersson’s government from outside the cabinet in return for influence over policy, under an agreement known as the Tidö Agreement. That arrangement gave the party real power over areas such as immigration policy without giving it ministers.

Friday’s announcement suggests that model may continue in a new form — but this time, Åkesson has said there will be no long-term agreement at all. His party, he said, will be in “full opposition” and will hold the government to account from outside.

That leaves open a difficult question: how will a minority government pass its budgets and laws if its largest outside supporter refuses to promise its votes in advance? Kristersson’s answer is that the government will have to win majorities in parliament on each issue, one by one.

What happens next

The immediate next step is more talks. Kristersson now has a few extra days to try to build a four-party centre-right government made up of his own Moderates, the Christian Democrats, the Liberals and the Centre Party — without the Sweden Democrats in the cabinet.

If he succeeds, parliament could vote on him as prime minister next week. If he fails, the speaker is expected to hand the task back to Andersson.

There is also the question of what the Sweden Democrats will do in practice. Åkesson said his party will be in opposition, but with 62 seats it remains the largest single force outside any government. Its votes will still matter on close decisions, even without a formal deal.

For now, though, Sweden is closer to a government than it has been since election night. A deadlock that has lasted nearly eight weeks may finally be breaking.

Why this matters beyond Sweden

Sweden’s struggle to form a government is not just a Swedish story. Across Europe, elections are increasingly producing hung parliaments, and mainstream parties are having to decide how to deal with fast-growing parties on the far right.

In Sweden, the question was whether a far-right party that wins a large share of the vote should be given cabinet seats. The Sweden Democrats have now answered that question themselves — at least for this parliament — by stepping back from government and accepting a role in opposition.

The result is a new test for Swedish politics: can a minority government survive without a formal support agreement, relying only on the promise that its rivals will not vote it down? The answer will shape not only Sweden’s next four years, but also how other European countries handle the same problem.

Frequently asked questions

Who are the Sweden Democrats?

The Sweden Democrats are a far-right, anti-immigration party led by Jimmie Åkesson. The party first entered Sweden’s parliament in 2010 and has grown at every election since. It now holds 62 of the 349 seats in the Riksdag, making it the second-largest party.

Who is Ulf Kristersson?

Ulf Kristersson is the leader of the Moderate Party and Sweden’s caretaker prime minister. He has led a centre-right minority government since 2022, supported from outside the cabinet by the Sweden Democrats.

Why could Sweden not form a government after the election?

The election on 13 September 2026 left neither side with a majority. Kristersson’s bloc won 173 seats and the opposition won 176, with 175 needed for a majority. The centre-left could not agree on a coalition, and the Centre Party refused to support a government that included the Sweden Democrats.

What did the Sweden Democrats announce on 6 November?

Party leader Jimmie Åkesson announced the party would drop its demand for ministerial posts, spend the next four years in opposition, and tolerate Kristersson as prime minister by abstaining in the vote. He said the party would sign no long-term support or budget agreements with the government.

What is the Centre Party’s role?

The Centre Party, led by Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, holds the balance of power. It refuses to support a government that includes the Sweden Democrats or the Left Party, but it could join or support a centre-right government that excludes both.

When will Sweden have a new government?

Parliament could vote on Kristersson as prime minister as early as next week. If he fails to win the vote, the speaker of parliament is expected to give the task of forming a government back to the centre-left.

Sources

• Reuters, “Sweden’s far-right party gives up on cabinet posts amid post-election gridlock”, 6 November 2026: https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/4002745-swedens-far-right-party-gives-up-oncabinet-posts-amid-post-election-gridlock?amp
• Sweden Herald, “Sweden Democrats Drop Demand for Cabinet Posts, Ready to Back Kristersson as Prime Minister”, 6 November 2026: https://swedenherald.com/article/jimmie-akesson-to-clarify-sweden-democrats-position-on-government-in-press-conference
• Daily Northern, “Kristersson gets more time to form government after SD and C shifts”, 6 November 2026: https://www.dailynorthern.com/37857/kristersson-gets-more-time-to-form-government-after-sd-and-c-shifts/
• Reuters via 985 The River, “Sweden’s far right helps clear path for Kristersson to stay on as PM in minority coalition”, 6 November 2026: https://985theriver.com/2026/11/06/swedens-far-right-party-gives-up-on-cabinet-posts-amid-post-election-gridlock/

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.