Swedish PM concedes defeat, resigns as populist leader declares victory

Sweden’s center-left Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson concedes defeat in a weekend election while the leader of a nationalist anti-immigration party declares victory for his right-wing bloc.

Jimmie Akesson, leader of the populist Sweden Democrats, says his party will be “a constructive and driving force in this work” of rebuilding safety in Sweden. He said it was “time to put Sweden first.”

With almost all votes counted, the right-wing bloc of four parties that includes the Sweden Democrats — the country’s second-largest party — appears to have won a thin majority in parliament. Though a few votes were outstanding they were not enough to sway the final outcome.

Andersson says that “the preliminary result is clear enough to draw a conclusion” that her center-left forces had lost power. “I will therefore request my dismissal as prime minister and the responsibility for the continued process will now pass to the parliament speaker and the Riksdag.”

The Sweden Democrats party was long shunned by Swedes because of its roots in the neo-Nazi movement. In recent years it has moved into the mainstream by expelling extremists and gained support with a tough stance on crime and immigration amid a rise in shootings and other gang violence.