SWEDEN: Mr Göran Persson's Social Democratic government seems set to rule for another four years as counting is finalised in Sweden's general elections.
Preliminary results show the Social Democrats won 175 seats - the exact requirement for a majority in parliament - against 158 to the non-socialist block.
The initial results mean the Social Democrats could win enough votes to govern with the Left Party alone and no longer require the support of the Greens, whom they have needed since 1998.
A steady stream of voters filed into the almost 6,000 polling stations on a cold autumn day. Voter turnout, as always, was high but slightly down at 77 per cent from 80 per cent in the last election.
The absolute final result will not be known until Wednesday, as some 40 per cent of the electorate chose postal voting, but the potential 100,000 votes from expatriates and Sunday's postal vote seem unlikely to change the result.
All signs are pointing towards another four years in power for the Social Democrats, who have increased their share to 40.1 per cent. Their main rivals, the conservative Moderates, have conceded defeat after a loss of seats while pre-election concerns surrounding the Green Party seem unfounded as their current standing is around 4.5 per cent, above the threshold necessary for parliament.
This is all good news for Mr Persson, and analysts are now discussing to what extent the "Persson effect" has aided the outcome and the Social Democratic vote.
Mr Persson, despite negative pre-election polls for his party, has continually remained the most popular leader in opinion polls.
However, the real victors in this election are the Liberals, who have risen to 13.1 per cent with 47 seats. A daring new image of a party willing to stick its neck out has caught the imagination of voters. The Liberal's outspokenness on many issues, not least their controversial immigration policy, set them apart from the other parties and the tactic has paid off.
Young people such as Ms Anna Carlsson, a 24-year-old student, pledged support for the Liberal party because they highlighted the problems surrounding immigration.
"The main problem is that the Social Democrats have not tackled the employment issue and how to get immigrants working so that they can practice their professions," she said.
Mr John Egerstedt, a construction engineer, also voted Liberal.
"I wasn't Liberal before but I changed because what they've been saying is what I want to hear," he said.