At 1 pm on Monday, 6,264 out of a total of 6,578 electoral districts in Sweden had been counted.

Ulf Kristersson's government base consisting of KD, L and SD then held 175 mandates, which can be compared with 174 mandates for S, V, MP and C. A balance of power that stood still during the morning and forenoon.

Svante Linusson, professor of mathematics at KTH and also active in the Center Party, emphasizes that it is precisely about mandates and not about percentages.

One mandate corresponds to approximately 20,000 votes.

And between the two blocs, there was a difference of about 47,000 votes at lunchtime, which on paper looks like a mandate.

A party that gets 10 percent in a proportional election system like Sweden's must also get 10 percent of the seats in the Riksdag.

But 10 percent of 349 seats is 34.9 mandates.

Therefore, the mandates are rounded to a whole number.

In the election night results, it happened that V, C and MP's mandates were rounded up, while, for example, M's were rounded down, explains Svante Linusson.

- That is why I think it will be difficult for the red-greens to make up for this, he says.

"Far from reaching the next mandate"

But there are still a number of constituencies remaining.

Over 200,000 early and foreign votes must also be counted on Wednesday.

At the same time, a control count must be carried out.

Traditionally, foreign votes tend to benefit bourgeois parties.

- Those who tend to go backwards are the Social Democrats and the Sweden Democrats.

Then other parties usually come forward, above all the Green Party.

But it is quite far from reaching the next mandate.

Right now, the Moderates are the closest to taking that mandate, and that would not constitute any change in the majority, says Svante Linusson.

"Must bend to oneself"

Mikael Gilljam, professor of political science at Gothenburg University, does not want to speculate on the outcome.

He states that it is very even between the two blocs, but that there are many indications that it may be tough for the red-greens to win over mandates in the remaining count of early and foreign votes.

- It will take a lot if these last votes, even if they are 230,000 - 240,000 this year and more in proportion, are to have an impact.

It must be skewed, says Mikael Giljam.