Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson is anticipated to be rejected in a parliamentary vote for prime minister scheduled for Thursday. This comes after her announcement on Tuesday that she had failed to form a government with the three other parties in the centre-left bloc following last month's general election.
Speaking at a press conference, Andersson stated, "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." Her remarks followed a report to parliament speaker Andreas Norlén, who had initially tasked her with assessing the conditions for government formation after the September 13th elections.
Shortly after Andersson's announcement, Norlén held a separate press conference where he confirmed that parliament would still proceed with a vote on her candidacy for prime minister. Norlén explained that there had been an agreement from the outset that Andersson's exploratory talks "would conclude with a prime ministerial vote regardless of how the exploratory talks had gone." He conceded that Andersson would likely not secure the necessary votes to become premier.
After the vote, Norlén indicated he would consult with party leaders once more to determine the next candidate. The September 13th election saw Sweden's centre-left opposition bloc secure 176 seats, narrowly surpassing outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's right-wing bloc, which includes the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, with 173 seats.
The primary obstacle within Andersson's bloc has been deep ideological differences, particularly between the Centre Party and the Left Party. The Centre Party has declared its opposition to any government that includes cabinet posts for the Left Party, while the Left Party has, in turn, insisted it would only support a left-wing government of which it is a member.
Norlén first assigned Andersson the task of initiating government talks on September 18th, but she abandoned that attempt on September 28th due to her inability to unite the three other parties. With no apparent shift in the parties' positions, Andersson was tasked with trying again.
Under the Swedish political system, a prime minister can take office as long as a majority in parliament does not vote against them. Following Andersson's expected failure, Norlén is anticipated to assign the task to Kristersson, who currently leads a caretaker government. Norlén told reporters he considered Kristersson a "natural candidate" but emphasized his commitment to "respect the process" before making a definitive decision.
Kristersson would face the challenge of convincing an opposition party to either support him or at least abstain from voting against him. The speaker of parliament is permitted four attempts to propose a prime minister for a parliamentary vote. Should the fourth attempt fail, a snap election must be called.
