Sweden Prepares for Worst: Citizens Told to Expect Crisis and Keep Cash
Sweden is stepping up its preparations for potential crises or conflicts by creating stockpiles of essential supplies, including fuel, food, and power generators.
HOT: » Which party would you vote for (if you could) in the upcoming snap vote in Bulgaria on April 19?
Opposition leader Stefan Lofven speaks on election night at the party of the Social Democrats, in Stockholm, Sweden, 14 September 2014, after the prime minister conceded defeat after the results in the Swedish general elections. Photo by EPA/BGNES
Swedish Social Democrats, an opposition force in the current government, have come first at the general elections.
Leader Stefan Lofven vowed not to allow far-right Sweden Democrats in the next cabinet, after his 43.7% (partial results as of early Monday) were likely to prevent his party from going it alone.
Center-right Moderate Party of PM Fredrik Reinfeldt trailed behind with 39.3 percent (compared to his 49.3% in 2010, when he was reelected), while Sweden Democrats were third, at 13%.
Reinfeldt is to vacate the post on Monday and also to resign as his party's leader.
Lofven, for his part, pledged to fight Sweden's economic and social issues, with unemployment and Swedish children dropping down in school results compared to other EU states seen as major problems prompting voters to cast ballots in his favor.
The Social Democrats ran in the general poll together with the Greens and also with the Left Party, a socialist-feminist organization.
Their coalition is expected to have some 159 seats in the 349-strong Parliament, failing to form a majority, but has fulfilled its aim to get more than 35 percent set after 2010's devastating 30.66 percent, Der Spiegel reports.
The Swedish Social Democratic Party (SAP) has dominated Sweden's polifical life since 1920, with Reinfeldt's tenure (from 2006) having been their biggest stay out of power.
Swden Democrats, on the other hand, have nearly doubled their support since 2010.
A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran has coincided with escalating tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has moved to tighten control over one of the world’s most critical maritime routes
US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized NATO allies over what he described as their unwillingness to support Washington during the war with Iran, following a two-hour meeting with Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House
Lebanon has declared a national day of mourning after one of the deadliest days in recent months, with at least 254 people killed and more than 1,165 injured in Israeli strikes carried out shortly after the announcement of a US-Iran ceasefire
The caretaker government has approved a decision endorsing the Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States and the Mercosur bloc
Several Gulf states have reported missile and drone strikes on their territories just hours after the United States and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire agreement, raising fresh questions about whether the truce is holding on the ground
US Vice President JD Vance launched a sharp attack on the European Union during a visit to Budapest, accusing Brussels of interfering in Hungary’s election just days before a closely contested vote that could reshape the country’s political landscape
Aniventure Comic Con Returns to Bulgaria with Star Guest Christopher Judge!
Global Fuel Shock: Oil Jumps Over 40% Since Iran War Began