Europeupdated 1h ago2 min read
Magdalena Andersson Fails Again To Form Sweden Government, Parliament Vote Set
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Andersson fails to form government with left-wing bloc after elections. Negotiations hit an impasse; no viable cabinet acceptable to parliament.
Andersson fails again
Magdalena Andersson said her efforts to form a government in Sweden had failed again, prolonging a political deadlock after the September 13 parliamentary elections. Andersson told a press conference, "My overall assessment is that progress has been made, but at the same time, the conditions are currently not in place to form a government that can be tolerated by the parliament," after reporting back to parliament speaker Andreas Norlen. Norlen said parliament would still be asked to vote on whether to make Andersson prime minister, while conceding she would likely fail to be voted in as premier.
Norlen had tasked Andersson with gauging conditions to form a government after the September 13 elections, and he said the vote would be scheduled for Thursday. The Swedish centre-left opposition bloc won 176 seats in parliament versus 173 for outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing bloc, which includes the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats.
Coalition terms collide
Andersson’s talks with the three other parties in the left-wing bloc hit an impasse, with the Centre Party saying it would oppose a government that includes cabinet posts for the Left Party. The Left Party insisted it would only support a left-wing government of which it is a member, leaving the centre-left bloc divided over the composition of a new government. Norlen said there had been agreement from the beginning that Andersson’s talks "would conclude with a prime ministerial vote regardless of how the exploratory talks had gone".
Norlen said he considered Kristersson a potential next candidate, but he would "respect the process" rather than commit too soon. The Swedish system of negative parliamentarism meant a prime minister can secure office so long as a majority does not vote against them, and the speaker has four attempts at proposing a prime minister for parliament to vote on.
Next steps and stakes
After Andersson’s failure, Norlen is expected to assign the task to Ulf Kristersson, who currently leads a caretaker government. Kristersson would need to convince an opposition party to support him or at least not vote against him, under the rules described for Sweden’s parliamentary vote. If the fourth attempt fails, a snap election must be called, according to the accounts of the speaker’s four attempts at proposing a prime minister.
“If the fourth attempt fails, a snap election must be called.”
teleSUR English reported that the Left Party and the Green Party said they would vote against a single-party Social Democratic government, while Green Party co-leader Amanda Lind reiterated her preference for a majority government involving all four parties. The negotiations were described as deadlocked since last month’s general election, with disagreements between the Center Party and the Left Party framed as the main obstacle to forming a cabinet.