Alliance won Swedish general election
Folkpartiet won a clear majority together with Moderates, Christian Democrats and the Centre Party in the Swedish general election on 17 September.
The four parties making up Alliance for Sweden will now form a new government that takes over power from the Social Democrats. The new prime minister will be Moderate leader Fredrik Reinfeldt, and the rest of the government is to be appointed by early October.
The margin of victory is small, with only a five seat difference between the Alliance and the red-green bloc. Folkpartiet's result went down by six percentage points to 7.5%. The three other parties in the Alliance are the Moderates (26.1%), the Christian Democrats (6.6%) and the Centre Party (7.9%).
The victory for the Alliance was a historic moment for Sweden. The Social Democrats, who have ruled Sweden during 65 of the past 74 years, had their worst result since 1914 with only 35 per cent of the votes. Prime Minister Göran Persson has submitted his resignation today, and will also step down as party leader next March.
The Alliance for Sweden was formed in the summer of 2004, with the aim to form a four-party electoral platform and a government coalition. Through working groups, conventions and a number of leaders' meetings, the Alliance has agreed on common policies on issues ranging from economic policy and taxation to education, healthcare and Europe. Unemployment has been the major topic of debate during the entire election campaign, as more than a million Swedes are without a job despite this country's strong economy. Folkpartiet's campaign has also focused on schooling and better integration of immigrants.