Sweden faced political deadlock yesterday after the far-right made gains in legislative elections that left the question of who will form the next government up in the air.

The prime minister is usually the leader of the party with the most votes, but Sweden's fragmented political landscape after Sunday's election makes it impossible to predict who will form the next government. As expected, neither the centre-left nor the centre-right bloc obtained a majority. The far-right Sweden Democrats solidified their position as third-biggest party and kingmaker, albeit with a lower score than they had expected.