Sweden may swing right after PM Lofven loses no- trust vote
Stockholm, Sept. 25: Sweden’s centre- right Opposition and the far right ousted Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in a vote of no- confidence on Tuesday, as the left and right blocs wrangle over who can form a new government after neither won a majority in September 9 elections.
Mr Lofven’s departure was widely anticipated. The head of the Opposition four- party Alliance, Ulf Kristersson, has since election night insisted that he intends to try to form a government.
With neither bloc able to build a majority, the farright, anti- immigration Sweden Democrats, who won almost 18 per cent of votes in the election and is the country’s thirdbiggest party, has demanded it be given influence over Swedish politics in exchange for its support in Parliament.
But neither the left nor right has been willing to negotiate with the Sweden Democrats.
“Sweden needs a new government that has broad political support to undertake reforms,” Mr Kristersson told
parliament moments before the confidence vote on Tuesday.
A total of 204 of 349 MPs voted against Mr Lofven, while 142 voted in favour.
The Speaker of parliament, Andreas Norlen, will begin talks on Thursday with the leaders of the eight parties represented in Parliament to determine who is best placed to form the next government. Ms Norlen, a member of Mr Kristersson’s conservative Moderate Party, is widely expected to task Mr Kristersson with the job.
But the road ahead is tricky.
A collaboration with the Sweden Democrats would give the Alliance the majority it needs, but since that option is unthinkable for two Alliance parties — the Liberals and the Centre — Mr Kristersson has so far refused to go down that route.
Mr Lofven’s leftwing bloc holds 144 seats in the new Parliament, just one more than the four- party centreright Alliance. The Sweden Democrats hold 62 seats.
The leftwing bloc is made up of the Social Democrats and the Greens, who have ruled together with the informal support of the ex- communist Left Party since 2014.
The Social Democrats posted their worst election score in more than a century, but they remain Sweden’s biggest party, far ahead of Mr Kristersson’s Moderates and the Sweden Democrats.
Mr Lofven will stay on as prime minister in a caretaker role until a new government is in place, which could take weeks.