Chamber:
	Riksdagen
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	20 September 1998
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	The 1998 parliamentary elections were held simultaneously with voting for municipal officials. Once again, the ruling Social Democratic Party (SAP) was mainly challenged by the conservative Moderate Party (MS) headed by Mr. Carl Bildt, Prime Minister from 1991 to 1994. The SAP and MS led the two contending blocs comprised of five other parties, with the Moderates heading the « bourgeois » group. During the generally uneventful campaign, debate centered largely on domestic issues. The SAP, headed by Prime Minister Göran Persson, promised « to restore what was » by increasing welfare spending (especially on health services, the elderly and day care) and lowering unemployment (which stood at 7.3%); at the same time, it advocated a prudent budget policy similar to its four-year-old austerity programme as the best means for continued economic recovery. The MS, for its part, proposed tax cuts and reduced labor costs; Mr. Bildt moreover supported Sweden’s entry into the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Among the smaller parties, the ex-communist Left Party (VP) led by Ms. Gudrun Schyman favoured reducing the work week to 35 hours in order to create more jobs. On a polling day marked, for Sweden, by a relatively high abstention rate (18.6%), the centre-left SAP maintained its leading position in the Riksdag but lost some 30 seats and dropped to its lowest popular vote percentage since the 1920s. However, its ally the VP virtually doubled its own total to arrive at 43, thus leaving the pair only one seat short of an absolute majority. This edge was ultimately provided by the Green Party (Mpg), which enabled a new minoriy SAP Government (supported by, but not in coalition with, VP and Mpg) to be formed on 6 October. It continues to be headed by Prime Minister Persson, in office since March 1996.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (20 September 1998): Elections results
Number of registered electors	6,603,129
Voters	5,374,588 (81.4%)
Blank or invalid ballot papers	113,466
Valid votes	5,261,122

Round no 1: Distribution of votes
Political Group	%
Social Democratic Party (SAP)	36.4
Moderate Party (MS)	22.9
Left Party (VP)	12.0
Christian Democratic Party (Kd)	11.8
Centre Party (CP)	5.1
Liberal Party (FP)	4.7
Green Party (Mpg)	4.5

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total	Gain/Loss
Social Democratic Party (SAP)	131	-30
Moderate Party (MS)	82	+2
Left Party (VP)	43	+21
Christian Democratic Party (Kd)	42	+27
Centre Party (CP)	18	-9
Liberal Party (FP)	17	-9
Green Party (Mpg)	16	-2

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	200
Women:	149

Distribution of seats according to age:
Under 30 years	13
30 - 39 years	44
40 - 49 years	91
50 - 59 years	162
60 - 64 years	29
65 years and over	10