Sweden’s parliament rejected Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson as prime minister, 248 to 99, as a government deadlock continues after the September election.
STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s lawmakers on Thursday voted against Social Democratic party leader Magdalena Andersson as new prime minister, as was widely expected amid a deadlock in efforts to form a government following September elections.
Andersson, who was Sweden’s first woman prime minister from 2021 to 2022, had already told the parliament speaker on Tuesday that she had failed to form a government with the three other parties in the left-wing bloc.
Speaker Andreas Norlen nonetheless chose to put her candidacy for prime minister to a vote in parliament, in what was widely viewed as a bid to unblock the stalemate.
In the September 13 election, the 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.
But it has struggled to agree on a government, with the Centre Party saying it will oppose cabinet posts for the Left Party — which has in turn insisted it will only support a left-wing government of which it is a member.
The speaker of parliament has four chances to put a candidate to a vote by lawmakers, after which new elections must be called.
Political observers have suggested that the parties will feel increasing pressure to compromise on their political “red lines” the closer they get to the risk of a new election.
Norlen first tasked Andersson with starting government talks on September 18, but she threw in the towel on September 28.
She was then tasked a second time on October 2, and was given 10 more days.
She reported back to the speaker on Tuesday that while some progress had been made, the conditions were “currently not in place to form a government”.
Andersson lost Thursday’s vote with 248 votes against and 99 in favour.
“This was entirely expected,” Andersson told reporters afterwards.
“After the election, we ended up with a complicated situation in the Swedish parliament, with a long list of deadlocks on the left, in the centre and on the right,” she said.
The speaker is now expected to hold talks with party leaders before deciding whom to task with trying to form a government.