Sweden's rival blocs seek Centre Party support to break deadlock

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STOCKHOLM, Nov 13 - Sweden's political left and right have until Friday to secure backing from the Centre Party in a bid to break weeks of deadlock following a tight election. Read more at straitstimes.com.

FILE PHOTO: Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson during the round table discussions with youth at the Nordic Council meeting at the House of Estates in Helsinki, Finland on October 27, 2026. Lehtikuva/Roni Rekomaa via REUTERS /File Photo

STOCKHOLM, Nov 13 - Sweden's political left and right have until Friday to secure backing from the Centre Party in a bid to break weeks of deadlock following a tight election.

Both blocs support continued aid for Ukraine and higher defence spending, but the outcome could reshape Sweden's political landscape for years to come.

The centre-left, headed by Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson, won a slim majority in September's vote, but has been unable to agree on how to share power. Caretaker Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is meanwhile trying to build an alternative centre-right administration.

Amid the deadlock, the Centre Party last week issued an ultimatum to both leaders to show how they could govern without support from the political fringes. With that deadline expiring on Friday, the party is expected to choose a side in the coming days.

"It's a chicken race," Jonas Hinnfors, professor of political science at Gothenburg University said. "The stakes are high and whoever blinks first could lose."

Both blocs face challenges. Andersson must either persuade the Left Party to drop its demand for cabinet positions, or convince the Centre Party to abandon its opposition to a coalition involving Sweden's former communist party.

On Thursday, Centre leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist said she was ready to talk policy with Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar but not to compromise on keeping the party out of government.

"The Left Party has to drop its ultimatum ... and come back to the negotiating table," she said in a written comment to Reuters shortly after Dadgostar called on the Centre to formally rule out any deal involving the far right.

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