Over 50 days have passed since Sweden's general election, yet the country remains without a functional government as political parties have failed to reach an agreement. While some observers expressed surprise at the ongoing stalemate, political analysts had long suggested that the parliament would likely need to reject at least two prime ministerial candidates before parties would be willing to compromise on their core demands.
The current process has already seen two parliamentary votes. Both Magdalena Andersson, leader of the Social Democrats, and Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, leader of the Centre Party, were rejected by the legislature. These failures leave the speaker of parliament, Andreas Norlén, with only two remaining attempts to propose a candidate for a vote before the constitution mandates that a new election must be called.
Following the unsuccessful vote on Thand Ringqvist, Speaker Norlén officially tasked Ulf Kristersson, the leader of the Moderate Party and current caretaker prime minister, with the responsibility of negotiating a new government. Kristersson is expected to pursue a coalition or support arrangement involving the Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats, and potentially the Liberal Party. A significant hurdle in these efforts is his attempt to convince the far-right Sweden Democrats to waive their demands for ministerial positions and possibly accept a mechanism to restrict their influence within such a government.
Despite these strategic maneuvers, the path forward remains uncertain. Martin Ådahl, the Centre Party's economics spokesperson, has stated that no such mechanism to limit the Sweden Democrats' influence exists. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats and Magdalena Andersson have maintained a passive stance, waiting for other parties to feel the mounting pressure before entering into formal negotiations.
It's over 50 days since Sweden's election and formally at least, the political parties have not moved even the tiniest step closer to forming a government. Here's what happens next.
Reading the Swedish newspapers, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the continuing deadlock between the government parties had come as a complete surprise.
