Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist's bid to form a centre government in Sweden failed on Monday when the Christian Democrats and the Liberals gave a definitive no. The failed exploratory assignment pushed the prediction market Polymarket to reshuffle its expectations about who becomes Sweden's next prime minister, according to Aftonbladet and Expressen.
The priced probability for Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson fell to 74 percent, down from 76 percent before the press conference, according to Polymarket. Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson rose 5 percentage points to 20 percent during Monday. Doubt is also growing inside the Social Democrats.
Linn Svansbo, an S profile and member of the regional board in Stockholm, told Dagens industri she puts her money on Kristersson as the next prime minister. "I'm afraid that's where it's heading," she said.
Ringqvist said at her press conference that a centre government of the Social Democrats, the Greens, the Centre Party, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats is not possible right now. "My overall conclusion is that there is a majority for a centre politics, but no majority for a centre government," she said, adding that an "extra election would be a total failure".
Social Democrat Anders Ygeman told SVT that his party does not need to say which parties it wants to govern with. "This is the wrong moment to draw up new red lines and write new wish lists," he said. He said the Social Democrats are ready to cooperate with all parties except the Sweden Democrats, seven of the eight parties in the Riksdag.
Ygeman said Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson should now receive the speaker's exploratory assignment, since Magdalena Andersson has already been voted down in a vote. "It could rule out another government alternative and move things one step forward," he said. He added that the Centre Party and the Left Party must modify the positions they took in the election campaign.
"We can lead the horse to water, but the horse has to drink the water," Ygeman said. Ringqvist said the Centre Party's red lines against the Left Party remain.
Earlier coverage
- Center Party Drops Bid for Middle Government in Sweden (26 Oct 2026)