STOCKHOLM — Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has requested to be relieved of his post after his governing bloc lost its parliamentary majority in the country’s general election.

In a letter dated 17 September 2026 and addressed to Riksdag Speaker Andreas Norlén, Kristersson said the election result had created difficult conditions for forming the next government.

“Now it is the Speaker who will lead the coming steps on the way towards a new government,” Kristersson wrote, requesting to be relieved of his duties as prime minister so that the process could begin immediately.

The resignation follows the final election count, which gave the four opposition parties 176 of the 349 seats in the Riksdag, compared with 173 seats for the parties that made up or supported Kristersson’s centre-right government.

The Social Democrats, led by former prime minister Magdalena Andersson, emerged as the largest single party with 99 seats. However, the next government will depend on negotiations among the four opposition parties, which also include the Left Party, Centre Party and Greens.

In his letter, Kristersson said Sweden’s political parties would need to demonstrate “constructive openness” to find solutions that could allow a new prime minister to secure support for a state budget and establish a stable and effective government.

The Speaker will now lead consultations with party leaders on the formation of a new government. Under Sweden’s parliamentary system, the Riksdag must approve a proposed prime minister unless a majority of MPs vote against the candidate.

Andersson is expected to seek to form the next government, although differences within the opposition bloc could complicate negotiations. The Centre Party has previously ruled out entering a government together with the Left Party, while the composition of the next coalition remains unsettled.

Kristersson has led Sweden’s government since 2022.