Sweden's opposition bloc wins parliamentary majority as counting of ballots ends

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Preliminary results released Thursday by the Swedish Election Authority showed that Sweden's center-left opposition bloc had secured a parliamentary majority after all 6,626 electoral districts were counted.

The four opposition parties received a combined 49.6 percent of the vote and were allocated 176 seats, one more than the 175 required for a majority in the 349-seat parliament. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's right-wing bloc received 48.8 percent of the vote and secured 173 seats.