Sweden’s Hung Parliament Stalls Government Formation

Swedish Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson says she cannot form a government after the September 13 general election, despite her centre-left bloc winning a narrow parliamentary majority. The bloc secured 176 of the 349 seats, compared with 173 for the incumbent right-wing bloc. However, the election result did not settle who would govern, and the parties’ ability to assemble support in parliament has become central. Andersson’s attempt to form a government was weakened when the Left Party said it would support a candidate from the rival Moderate Party for parliament speaker. After considering that announcement and her discussions with other parties, Andersson said there was no current possibility of forming a government with the other parties in her bloc. The speaker of parliament is expected to ask another party leader to try to form a government, most likely outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Kristersson has led the country since the right-wing bloc’s 2022 election victory and currently heads a caretaker government. His bloc also faces difficulty finding a parliamentary majority. After the latest election, he said he would explore options among “non-socialist” parties. That effort may involve the Centre Party, which is now aligned with the left-wing bloc but previously belonged to the right. The Centre Party opposes a government that includes the Sweden Democrats, a party with far-right roots that has moved closer to the political mainstream and whose support has been important to Kristersson’s coalition. Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist has said she will neither join nor support a government that gives influence to parties on either the far left or far right. The article therefore describes a parliament in which neither bloc has an easy route to forming a majority government.

Sweden’s center-left bloc has been unable to form a government despite winning a narrow parliamentary majority in the September 13 election. Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson said Monday that negotiations with the Greens, Center Party and Left Party had failed, leaving the country without a new government more than two weeks after the vote. The four parties together hold 176 of the Riksdag’s 349 seats, compared with 173 for the outgoing right-wing bloc; the center-left also won the popular vote by roughly 50,000 votes. Negotiations broke down over sharp disagreements between the centrist Center Party and the socialist Left Party. Andersson said that, given the discussions so far, forming a government was not possible. The failure gives the outgoing right-wing bloc an opportunity to seek continued power, although it too lacks a majority. Parliament’s speaker is expected to invite another party leader to attempt to form a government. Ulf Kristersson, leader of the center-right Moderate Party and Sweden’s outgoing prime minister, is considered the likely next choice. He currently leads a caretaker government. His bloc includes the far-right Sweden Democrats, and would likely need support from the Center Party to govern. However, Center Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist has ruled out supporting a government that gives influence to either the Sweden Democrats or the Left Party, complicating both sides’ efforts to assemble a viable coalition. The article notes that lengthy government formation is not unprecedented in Sweden: it took 37 days after the 2022 election and 134 days after the 2018 vote. The immediate result is continued political uncertainty, with neither bloc yet able to demonstrate a clear path to a majority government.

Swedish Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson has ended her current attempt to form a government, saying she is not presently able to assemble a governing coalition. Her decision highlights the challenge of securing support in a fragmented parliament following Sweden’s election earlier in the month. Andersson returned the mandate she had been given to explore forming a government after the Left Party chose to support a centre-right candidate for parliament speaker in a vote scheduled for later on Monday. The setback does not rule out Andersson becoming prime minister. She may receive another opportunity if her political rivals also fail to form a government. Meanwhile, the development could allow caretaker Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderates and in office since October 2022, to make another attempt at assembling a coalition. Kristersson has promised to bring the far right into government, according to the article’s subheadline. The report presents the next steps as uncertain: the immediate result is that Andersson has stopped her current effort, but the eventual outcome depends on whether other candidates can build sufficient parliamentary support.