Polls open in Sweden vote that could see far-right enter government for first time

Voting opens in Sweden’s general election that could see far-right enter government for first time

Swedish political parties’ tents are set up for an election event, in Lund, Sweden, September 7, 2022. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

Polling stations opened in Sweden in what is expected to be a close general election that will see either the far-right enter government for the first time or the left-wing opposition reclaim power.

Opinion polls have long credited the four parties in the left-wing bloc with a comfortable lead over conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s four-party alliance, which includes the far-right Sweden Democrats.

But the gap narrowed to a dead heat in the final days of the campaign.

The leader of the opposition, Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats, which governed the Scandinavian country for the better part of the 20th century, has pledged to bolster the welfare state and help struggling households cope with rising costs if the four parties on the left win a majority.

Outgoing conservative Prime Minister Kristersson has meanwhile vowed to focus on improving Swedes’ everyday lives now that his government’s clampdown on organised crime and immigration has achieved its intended results.

Kristersson has governed with the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats for the past four years, and has promised the anti-immigration party cabinet posts for the first time if the four parties on the right win the election.

Voting stations will close at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) when exit polls will be published, with the first reliable results expected several hours later.

German Jewish leader receives death threat after call to ban far-right AfD

President of the Munich and Upper Bavaria’s Jewish Community Charlotte Knobloch gestures as she arrives for the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany on February 14, 2025. (Michaela STACHE/AFP)

German authorities say that Charlotte Knobloch, a prominent leader of the Jewish community in Munich has received death threats over her call to ban the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD.)

The prosecutor’s office tells DPA an investigation has been opened into suspected incitement to hatred, threats and criminal damage.

German media reports say that the message “the AfD has won, now we will hang Knobloch” was carved on a park bench in the city.

Knobloch, a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor, is the head of the Jewish community in Munich and Upper Bavaria.

The incident that took place Thursday comes after she called to ban the far right party after it won an election in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt, and is now seeking to form the first extreme-right state government in Germany since World War II.

Yesterday,  About 150,000 demonstrators took to the streets in around 20 cities nationwide, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, in protests that were called by Pruef, which advocates for a ban on the AfD, organisers say.

The rise of the AfD has unnerved many who feel Germany has a special responsibility to atone for its Nazi past, and calls have grown for mainstream parties to seek to ban the group.

But hurdles for a formal ban are high in Germany, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of the centre-right CDU party, remains sceptical about taking such an approach.

In Berlin, police said several thousand protesters took part in several demonstrations.

The AfD held a counter-demonstration in the capital, attended by Kristin Brinker, its lead candidate in next weekend’s regional elections in Berlin.

1 killed as Iranian commercial vessel struck off southern Iran coast, state media says

An Iranian commercial vessel was struck off southern Iran, killing one person and wounding three others, Iranian state media reports, citing the governor of Qeshm County.

Indonesia launches search after losing contact with passenger ship carrying at least 240 people

Indonesian rescuers have launched a search operation after a passenger ship carrying at least 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea while traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo island, officials say.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province, says it received a report the Virgo Transport 8 experienced a communication failure while en route to the city from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city in East Java province.

Initial information indicates the vessel’s last known position was in the Java Sea, about 148 kilometers (92 miles) from a pier in Banjarmasin. The ship’s manifest says it’s carrying 241 passengers.

There are no immediate reports of casualties.

Arianto Ardi, operations chief at Banjarmasin’s rescue agency, confirms the loss of contact with the vessel and says rescue personnel have been dispatched to the area.

“We have established an operations post at Trisakti,” Arianto says.

Authorities says the ship’s operator reported the incident after receiving information that the vessel encountered bad weather.

Bodies of 3 people found inside burning car near Baqa al-Gharbiya, in suspected murder

Police open a murder investigation after the bodies of three people are found in a burning vehicle outside the town of Baqa al-Gharbiya.

The identifies of the three aren’t immediately clear.

Ship hit by projectile while transiting Hormuz strait — UK maritime agency

A vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime ​Trade Operations says.

It says the crew’s status, damage assessment and environmental impact are unknown.

Iran’s president says country ‘won’t surrender’ to US

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, September 12, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin/Pool Photo via AP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country “won’t surrender,” amid the ongoing conflict with the United States.

“If Americans are warriors, let them face our valiant military forces,” Pezeshkian writes on X. “Why wage war on civilian infrastructure, food supplies, and livelihoods? If they’re human, why deny people access to water, food, and medicine? Our people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender.”