Sweden’s PM channels Trump saying he wants to ‘make Sweden great again’ ahead of election – as it happened

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4h agoSweden's PM channels Trump as he wants to 'make Sweden great again'

Channeling his Donald Trump spirit, Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson told AFP that he hoped to secure a second term in this Sunday’s parliamentary election to “make Sweden great again.”

Prime minister Ulf Kristersson talks to members of the media after a Moderate Party rally ahead of the general election in Stockholm, Sweden. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/ReutersKristersson has led a three-party centre-right coalition since 2022, which relies on outside support from the far-right Sweden Democrats. If the right bloc wins, the party is expected to join the government for the first time in history.

But polls suggest that a centre-left opposition bloc of former PM Magdalena Andersson is slightly ahead, with a combined 50.8% of vote share, compared to 47.6% for the centre-right and far-right parties.

The vote on Sunday is expected to be very close, and it may take weeks before we know who will form the next government as political talks are likely to be fraught and take time.

Key events

2h ago

Closing summary

2h ago

New Swedish poll shows margin between two blocs narrow ahead of election day

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Russia targets Kyiv petrol stations for first time with jet-powered drones

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New Swedish election poll shows margin of just 0.3pp between blocs

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Economy, education, climate, integration and healthcare to feature in final Swedish TV debate

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Sweden's PM channels Trump as he wants to 'make Sweden great again'

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Two dead, six injured in Kyiv petrol station attack

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Four people injured in new Russian attacks on Kyiv petrol stations

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Two more petrol stations in Kyiv reportedly hit by Russian strikes

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Closing summary

Jakub Krupa

And, on that note, we will be closing the blog for today.

Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson told AFP that he hoped to secure a second term in this Sunday’s parliamentary election to “make Sweden great again,” as the country entered final hours of campaigning (14:23).

The latest polls ahead of the vote show narrowing gap between the two main blocs, potentially complicating the government-formation process after Sunday (15:34, 17:01).

The leaders of the eight main political parties will tonight face off in the final televised debate, with the economy, education, climate, integration and healthcare among the topics on the table (14:57).

We will cover the Swedish election night on Europe Live on Sunday night, live from Stockholm.

Elsewhere,

At least two people were killed and 12 injured in Russian strikes on two petrol stations in Kyiv on Friday morning as the bombardment of Ukraine’s capital enters a new phase of intensity (9:48, 11:17, 13:47, 16:09).

If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.

I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

New Swedish poll shows margin between two blocs narrow ahead of election day

Back to Sweden, where the Social Democrat leader, Magdalena Andersson, told the Swedish broadcaster SVT that “the bloc differences will decrease as we approach election day, I have predicted that for a long time.”

She was responding to a yet another new poll showing the gap between the two groups narrowing, with just over 48 hours to go until the polls close.

SVT/Verian’s poll says Social Democrats will win with 27.6% of the vote, ahead of the far-right Sweden Democrats at 18.1% and the Moderates at 15.8%.

Russia targets Kyiv petrol stations for first time with jet-powered drones

Amy Hawkins

in Kyiv

Petrol stations in Kyiv have been hit by jet-powered drones in a wave of targeted Russian attacks as the bombardment of Ukraine’s capital enters a new phase of intensity.

At least two people were killed and 12 injured in strikes on two petrol stations on Friday morning, according to the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko.

The rush-hour strikes follow a similar attack on a petrol station on Thursday, the first of its kind in the capital.

At the Ukrnafta petrol station in the Pochaina neighbourhood in northern Kyiv, bystanders said three people had been injured in Friday’s blast – the manager of a nearby car wash, his wife and the driver of a passing car. The blown-out vehicle was stranded by the side of the road, its windows shattered and seats spattered in blood.

Witnesses said they had heard two explosions, and local authorities later said Russia had carried out a double-tap attack on the facility.

Pochaina petrol station in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photograph: Amy Hawkins“This is probably one of the most difficult periods of the war because life is just like on a rollercoaster,” said Anastasiia Demchenko, 30, who works at a delivery company opposite the petrol station. “It feels like life is on the edge.”

All three strikes targeted petrol stations operated by Ukrnafta, a state-owned oil and natural gas extraction company.

Sergiy Fedorenko, the acting head of Naftogaz, Ukrnafta’s parent company, said: “There is, and can be, no military objective behind such attacks. This is terror directed at the civilian population, at peaceful people.”

Jakub Krupa

Let’s go back to Ukraine and get you the latest from our correspondent, Amy Hawkins, in Kyiv.

New Swedish election poll shows margin of just 0.3pp between blocs

Highlighting just how close the margins are likely to be on Sunday, the latest DN/Ipsos poll shows a difference of just… 0.3 percentage points between the centre-left and the centre-right to far-right blocs.

If confirmed, it would give the opposition 175 seats in the new parliament, just one more than the current government.

Magdalena Andersson, former prime minister of Sweden, speaks during an event in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this year. Photograph: Nacho Doce/ReutersIt will be really close.

Economy, education, climate, integration and healthcare to feature in final Swedish TV debate

Later tonight, the leaders of the eight main political parties will face off in the final televised debate ahead of Sunday’s vote.

Christian Democrats party leader Ebba Busch (KD), Green Party spokesperson Amanda Lind (MP), Sweden Democrats party leader Jimmie Akesson (SD), Social Democrats party leader Magdalena Andersson (S) and Moderates party leader Ulf Kristersson (M) in the studio ahead of TV4's election debate in Stockholm, Sweden yesterday. Photograph: Anders Wiklund/TT/ReutersThe discussion will focus on the economy, education, climate, integration and healthcare, according to the Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

SVT somewhat proudly noted that it has a history in hosting the final debates in each race, going back to 1960.

While the Swedish campaign focused on a range of issues including Sweden’s welfare state, immigration and crime, there was no single dominant issue, experts said.

A man sits on a bench in front of election campaign posters for Sweden's Social Democratic party and Moderate Party in central Stockholm, Sweden. Photograph: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images“Nothing has really stuck, it’s been sort of unsatisfactory in that ⁠sense,” Nicholas Aylott, an associate professor at Södertörn University, told Reuters.

The centre-left opposition looked set to win, albeit ​by a narrower margin than seen in polls during ​early summer, Aylott said.

Jakub Krupa

Save the date for Sunday night as I will bring you everything – polls, analysis and what’s next – live from Stockholm on here, on Europe Live.

Sweden's PM channels Trump as he wants to 'make Sweden great again'

Channeling his Donald Trump spirit, Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson told AFP that he hoped to secure a second term in this Sunday’s parliamentary election to “make Sweden great again.”

Prime minister Ulf Kristersson talks to members of the media after a Moderate Party rally ahead of the general election in Stockholm, Sweden. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/ReutersKristersson has led a three-party centre-right coalition since 2022, which relies on outside support from the far-right Sweden Democrats. If the right bloc wins, the party is expected to join the government for the first time in history.

But polls suggest that a centre-left opposition bloc of former PM Magdalena Andersson is slightly ahead, with a combined 50.8% of vote share, compared to 47.6% for the centre-right and far-right parties.

The vote on Sunday is expected to be very close, and it may take weeks before we know who will form the next government as political talks are likely to be fraught and take time.

Meanwhile, Kyiv mayor Klitschko said the number of people injured in today’s attacks on the capital has gone up to 12, including a child.

Seven people remain hospitalised, he said.