Reuters calls it right in close-fought Swedish election

Reuters was the only international news organisation to get beneath the surface of Swedish politics before the Sept 19 general election. Reuters repeatedly highlighted the strong possibility that no one bloc would gain a clear majority and addressed what this would mean for coalition forming, policies and financial markets. In an exclusive pre-election interview, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said he would seek support from the Greens if his centre-right coalition fell short of an overall majority. On the evening of Sept 19, when the vote count showed Reinfeldt scoring less than 50 percent, he did indeed turn to the Greens. Reuters coverage also zeroed in on the potential for an anti-immigrant party to enter parliament for the first time, drawing on resentment among Sweden’s growing unemployed. That prediction was borne out when the new far-right party won 6 percent of the vote.