After four years of a right-wing government that the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) heavily influenced, the parties that refuse to cooperate with the SD secured a narrow victory in the general election on September 13. However, the winning side consists of four parties that are politically very far apart and have so far been unable to agree on a new government.

While the Left Party refuses to support a government in which it does not hold cabinet posts, the neoliberal Center Party refuses to support a government that includes Left Party ministers. Nobody wants a snap election or a repeat of the extremely slow, 134-day process of forming a government that followed the 2018 election. But there is still no solution in sight to this stalemate.

Ultimately, Sweden’s dilemma is bigger than the question of which parties receive which portfolios. It is whether the parties that claim to defend democracy against the inroads of right-wing populism can win a positive majority for a different economic policy agenda rather than a negative majority against the SD’s influence.