Swedish opposition's slight lead in election dead heat

Sweden's national election results showed a dead heat with a partial count by the election authority pointing to a three-seat majority for the opposition centre-left bloc.

The left-leaning bloc, headed by the Social Democrats' leader Magdalena Andersson, was expected to win 176 seats in the 349-seat parliament, the Riksdag, based on votes from 6,195 of Sweden's 6,312 election districts, the election authority said.

The right-wing governing bloc of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was seen winning 173 seats, with ballot-counting continuing, and with a final results expected to come on Wednesday at the earliest.

The election, while unlikely to change the course of Sweden's pro-Western and pro-Ukraine stance, could decide whether Mr Kristersson's push toward a hard-right clampdown on migration continues or even accelerates.

Given the closeness of the race, the winner may not be known for several days, after all overseas ballots have been counted.