Sweden's next government uncertain with thin lead for left-wing opposition

STOCKHOLM -- Sweden's next government remained uncertain on Monday as the national election inched toward a final result, with a thin lead for the left-wing opposition and an underwhelming performance by a hard-right anti-immigration party.Preliminary results showed a narrow advantage for the opposition and former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s bid to return to office at the head of a left-wing coalition, although her own center-left Social Democrats lost support. But even if the left does win a majority of seats, Andersson faces a complicated task to translate that into a government, and conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he would explore “possibilities” given the close result.Sweden, which has about 10.6 million inhabitants, is a member of the European Union and the newest member of NATO. With more than 94% of districts counted, the Swedish Election Authority reported that the four opposition parties were heading for 176 seats in the 349-seat parliament in Stockholm, the Riksdag, with 173 seats going to the four parties that make up or support the outgoing government.The outcome may not be decided until Wednesday, when local election boards count early votes t...