Andersson cannot form a government; Sweden sets Thursday vote
Sweden’s Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson says she has not reached a government agreement within the election-winning centre-left bloc. Speaker Andreas Norlén has called a Thursday vote on her premiership despite the inconclusive talks. The Centre and Left parties remain divided over cabinet seats. Because a candidate can take office unless a parliamentary majority votes against them, abstentions may determine the outcome.
Geopolitics··Evening
Andersson ends talks without a coalition
Swedish Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson said on Tuesday, 13 October, that she had failed to agree on a government with the three other centre-left parties. After reporting back to parliamentary Speaker Andreas Norlén, she said the talks had made progress but lacked the conditions for a government the legislature could tolerate. This was her second unsuccessful attempt to assemble a governing arrangement after September’s election. Norlén nevertheless announced that parliament would vote on her candidacy on Thursday. The vote has not taken place, and its result cannot be treated as settled in advance.[1], [2]
A three-seat edge has not yielded a cabinet deal
The centre-left opposition won 176 of the Swedish parliament’s 349 seats in the 13 September election. Outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing bloc, including the Sweden Democrats, won 173. That narrow numerical edge has not resolved the dispute over cabinet membership. The Centre Party objects to Left Party ministers, while the Left Party says it will support a left-wing government only if it joins the cabinet. A possible Social Democratic minority government therefore depends on how the other parties vote. News55 reports that the Left Party and Greens have indicated opposition to such an arrangement.[1], [2]
Thursday’s vote may precede another nomination
In Sweden, a prime-ministerial nominee can take office if a parliamentary majority does not vote against them; at least 175 negative votes in the 349-seat chamber would defeat the candidate. Abstentions and any remaining party talks may therefore matter. Norlén first tasked Andersson with exploring a government on 18 September. She ended that attempt on 28 September without a deal and was later asked to try again. If Thursday’s vote fails, the Speaker says he will consult party leaders about the next candidate. Kristersson meanwhile remains at the head of a caretaker government. The Speaker can put forward four candidates; rejection of the fourth would trigger a snap election.[1]
