Sweden Nears End to Gridlock After Deal Keeps Nationalists Out
- Center-right opposition Alliance breaks after defections
- Sweden has struggled to form new government after election
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Sweden is nearing an end to a record-long political stalemate after Social Democratic leader Stefan Lofven struck a deal across the aisle to remain in power and deny influence to the country’s growing nationalist party.
The accord comes after four months of tumultuous talks, but risks raising the ire of voters who demanded change in an election that handed big gains to the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats and the Social Democrats its worst election result in a century. It also breaks apart the center-right opposition Alliance, leaving the conservatives out in the cold.