The 2018 Swedish general election (Swedish: Riksdagsvalet 2018) was held on 9 September 2018 to elect all 349 members of the Riksdag, Sweden’s unicameral legislature. The election employed a party‑list proportional representation system with a 4 % national threshold (2 % for parties representing a single constituency). Voter turnout was 84.6 %.
National vote share and seat distribution
| Party (English name) | Swedish name | Vote % (national) | Seats won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party | Socialdemokraterna (S) | 28.3 % | 100 |
| Moderate Party | Moderaterna (M) | 19.8 % | 70 |
| Sweden Democrats | Sverigedemokraterna (SD) | 17.5 % | 62 |
| Centre Party | Centerpartiet (C) | 8.6 % | 31 |
| Left Party | Vänsterpartiet (V) | 8.0 % | 28 |
| Christian Democrats | Kristdemokraterna (KD) | 6.3 % | 22 |
| Liberals | Liberalerna (L) | 5.5 % | 20 |
| Green Party | Miljöpartiet de gröna (MP) | 5.3 % | 16 |
| Other parties (no seats) | – | < 4 % each | 0 |
The total of the seats listed equals the full 349 seats in the Riksdag.
Immediate political outcome
- No bloc (the traditional “centre‑right” bloc of Moderates, Christian Democrats, Liberals, and Centre Party versus the “centre‑left” bloc of Social Democrats, Greens, Left Party, and the Centre Party when it aligns left‑of‑centre) achieved an absolute majority.
- The election therefore produced a hung parliament, prompting extended coalition negotiations.
- On 18 January 2019, a “January Agreement” was reached between the Social Democrats, Greens, Centre Party, Liberals, and the Left Party. This coalition gave the governing bloc a functional majority, allowing Prime Minister‑elect Stefan Löfven (Social Democrats) to be re‑installed as Prime Minister.
Significance
- The Sweden Democrats, a nationalist‑populist party, became the third‑largest party in the Riksdag for the first time, securing 62 seats.
- The Social Democrats remained the largest single party but fell short of a majority, reflecting continued fragmentation of the Swedish party system.
- The election marked the first time since 1976 that the traditional centre‑right alliance (Moderates, Centre, Liberals, Christian Democrats) failed to command a majority, and it underscored the growing importance of cross‑bloc coalition arrangements in Swedish politics.
All figures are based on official results published by the Swedish Election Authority (Valmyndigheten) and corroborated by reputable encyclopedic sources.
