Swedish Prime Minister resigns after election results
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson submitted a letter of resignation to the speaker of parliament on Thursday following the announcement of a final vote count for Sunday’s election, reports BritPanorama.
A group of centre-left opposition parties, headed by the Social Democrats under Magdalena Andersson, won 176 seats in Sunday’s vote for parliament. Kristersson’s incumbent right-wing bloc secured 173 seats, according to the election authority.
Andersson, who became Sweden’s first woman prime minister in 2021, stated the country would take a new direction after four years of a government focused on tough immigration and crime policies.
“In recent times there are those who have not felt welcome in our country,” she said in a speech. “To you, I want to say this: This is a new era now. That is what the Swedish people have voted for.”
However, it may take some time to form a new government. The Centre Party, one of Andersson’s potential backers, has stated it will not join a coalition that includes the Left Party. The Green Party is also considered a potential member of a left-of-centre government.
Reports from the daily Dagens Nyheter indicate that the Social Democrats have invited other opposition parties for talks, although no further details were provided.
If Andersson is unable to form a coalition, the incumbent right-wing bloc is likely to attempt to persuade the Centre Party to switch sides, a scenario analysts deem improbable.
Outgoing deputy prime minister Ebba Busch, leader of the Christian Democrats, acknowledged that “it remains to be seen” what will happen next.
Should parliament reject four candidates for the prime minister’s position, a new election would need to be triggered.
The election saw Andersson’s loose alliance take on Kristersson’s centre-right bloc. He had intended to include the far-right in the coalition to gain a majority, yet the Sweden Democrats, who have roots in the neo-Nazi fringe, experienced a decline in their share of the vote for the first time since entering parliament in 2010, contributing to the opposition’s success.
This setback for the Sweden Democrats places Sweden at odds with a prevailing trend in Europe, where the far-right has been gaining ground.
The election result remains subject to formal certification.
