Copenhagen, 19 September 2022 (dpa/MIA) - Sweden's centre-right opposition leader Ulf Kristersson was tasked with forming a government on Monday after his four-party conservative bloc narrowly defeated parties on the left in the parliamentary elections held earlier this month. Swedish Parliamentary Speaker Andreas Norlén gave the Moderate Party leader the mandate after talks with heads of the parliamentary parties. It remains open whether the parties will be able to agree on a basis for cooperating in government. But if Kristersson is successful, it will mark a major political shift for Sweden, especially as his camp includes the Sweden Democrats, a right-wing populist party known for its anti-immigration stance in a country long seen as welcoming to refugees. The parties from the conservative bloc have different views about which role the Sweden Democrats should play in the future, namely whether it should be inside or outside of government. "We have made it clear that we do not think the Sweden Democrats should be part of the government," Liberal leader Johan Pehrson said, suggested the party's role could be limited to an supporting player in parliament. Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson said a government made up of a majority in parliament would benefit the country. His party is now the second-strongest force after receiving 20% of vote in the elections eight days ago. Kristersson's Moderate Party achieved its worst result in 20 years but clinched a narrow parliamentary majority of 176 seats of the 349 available thanks to the first-time election alliance with the right-wing side. On Monday, Kristersson stressed that he wants to unite, and not divide the country. "I want to form a government for all Sweded," he said. Kristersson was not given a deadline by which a deal for his government must be in place. When asked how long that could take, Speaker Norlén mentioned the current German coalition under Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "If you look at the German example, when the current coalition government was formed, as far as I know the process took several months," Norlén said. Caretaker Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson's left-wing camp won 173 seats, too few to prevent a change of government. She then submitted her resignation last week.