The Gothenburg voting district was the last to complete the count, meaning all 314 of the collection districts handling late and overseas votes and as a result all 6,626 of Sweden's voting districts have now handed in their final tally.
As soon as the result became clear, Kristersson sent a letter to Anders Norlén, the speaker of the Swedish parliament, tendering his resignation as prime minister.
"It is now up to the Speaker to lead the the next steps towards forming a new government. In order for that work to begin immediately, I hereby request to be relieved of my duties as Prime Minister," he wrote.
The leader of the left-wing bloc that won Sweden's election, Magdalena Andersson, responded with a speech posted on social media, in which she called for a "new direction" after four years of right-wing rule backed by the far-right.
"The Swedish people have voted for a new direction for our country. Voted for unity and against division. The Swedish people have voted to move Sweden forward, and I want to realise the new direction that you have voted for," she said.
Svenska folket har röstat för att ta Sverige framåt. pic.twitter.com/bgFWNxfIaZ
— Magdalena Andersson (@magdandersson) September 17, 2026
In his letter, Kristersson highlighted the differences the opposition might face in forming a government.
"The election results may have complicated the conditions for the next government formation, as the parties' different statements ahead of election day could constitute obstacles to all conceivable government formations and coalitions," he wrote.
"There will is now a need for constructive openness from all the parties in parliament for a prime minister is going be tolerated and for a new government to be able to receive support for its state budget."
"Discussions will need to be carried out with all the parties to find ways around these deadlocks and create the possibility of a stable and effective government".
According to Sweden's public broadcaster SVT, shortly before Kristersson's resignation four cakes arrived at the Stockholm headquarters of the Social Democrats, and jubel, or celebrations were heard within.
Nooshi Dadgostar, leader of the Left Party, was the first opposition leader to react to Kristersson's resignation.
"The Swedish people have voted Tidö out and given us a clear mandate for change," she wrote.
The vote count on Wednesday and Thursday led to one seat moving from the Social Democrats to the Left Party, further strengthening Dadgostar's hand ahead of coalition talks.
Ebba Busch, the leader of the Christian Democrats, commended Kristersson for offering his resignation but said that it still remained to be seen whether the left-wing bloc could form a workable government.
"The Prime Minister, as is right and good, tendered his resignation," she wrote. "So what happens now? It remains to be seen. At present, there is no one who commands a majority in the parliament. The red-greens have not automatically won the government power. Various parties' red lines before election day can lead to a complicated government formation."
The biggest opposition party, the Social Democrats, has invited the other three opposition parties to a meeting, the Green Party's party secretary Katrin Wissing confirmed on Thursday morning, but declined to give any indication of when the meeting might take place.
"We need to sit down and carve out the direction for a red-green government," she said. "We want to be a constructive force in these conversations."
The Centre Party has not yet confirmed whether it will come to the meeting.
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