Sweden’s parliament has voted against Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson becoming prime minister, prolonging the political deadlock following September’s general election.
Andersson, who served as Sweden’s first woman prime minister from 2021 to 2022, had already informed parliamentary speaker Andreas Norlen on Tuesday that she had failed to form a government with the three other parties in the left-wing bloc.
Norlen nevertheless put her candidacy to a parliamentary vote in an attempt to break the impasse.
Andersson lost Thursday’s vote, with 248 lawmakers opposing her appointment and 99 supporting it.
‘This was entirely expected,’ Andersson told reporters after the vote.
‘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.
Coalition talks remain deadlocked
In the Sept 13 election, the centre-left opposition bloc secured 176 seats in parliament, compared with 173 for the right-wing bloc led by outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, which includes the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats.
Despite its narrow parliamentary majority, the centre-left bloc has struggled to agree on a government.
The Centre Party has said it will oppose cabinet positions for the Left Party, which has insisted that it will only support a left-wing government in which it participates.
The disagreements have complicated efforts to form a government despite the centre-left bloc’s stronger showing in the election.
Andersson fails in second attempt
Norlen first tasked Andersson with exploring the formation of a government on Sept 18, but she abandoned the effort on Sept 28.
She was given a second mandate on Oct 2 and a further 10 days to reach an agreement.
When she reported back to the speaker on Tuesday, Andersson said some progress had been made, but the conditions were ‘currently not in place to form a government’.
Under Sweden’s parliamentary system, the speaker has four opportunities to put a prime ministerial candidate to a vote. If all four attempts fail, a new election must be called.
Political observers have suggested that the parties will face growing pressure to compromise on their political ‘red lines’ as the possibility of another election draws closer.
Speaker to consult party leaders
Following Andersson’s rejection, Norlen is expected to hold talks with party leaders before deciding whom to nominate for the next attempt to form a government.
The outcome of those discussions will determine the next step in efforts to resolve Sweden’s political impasse.
