SWEDEN PM CALLS FOR CALM AFTER HISTORIC ELECTION
Baku, September 21 (AZERTAC). Sweden`s prime minister has called for calm following an election that put an anti-immigration party in parliament for the first time.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt`s ruling coalition was re-elected Sunday, but lost its parliamentary majority by a slim margin. He has called for patience until October when he will announce how he plans to lead the minority government.
In Sunday`s vote, the right-wing Sweden Democrats made history by winning 20 seats in parliament. The party`s leader Jimmie Akesson says his party, which ran on a strongly anti-immigrant platform, is ready to work with the ruling coalition.
But Mr. Reinfeldt has said he wants to avoid reliance on the Islam-bashing party.
The prime minister said he will court the Green Party to avoid political deadlock. Green party officials so far have held back their support of Mr. Reinfeldt`s alliance of moderate and conservative parties.
With nearly all the votes counted from the general election, Prime Minister Reinfeldt`s center-right coalition won 173 seats in the 349-seat parliament -- just a few short of a majority.
A final count of the votes is not expected until Wednesday.
If the preliminary results hold up, Mr. Reinfeldt`s government will be the first conservative government reelected in Sweden in nearly 100 years.
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