Sweden: Government formation talks collapse after clashes between parties

STOCKHOLM, September 28 /ATSH-DPA/ – Efforts by Sweden’s Social Democrats to form a new government have failed due to disagreements between center-left parties.

The leader of the Social Democrats, Magdalena Andersson, announced this today, about two weeks after her party came first in the September 13 parliamentary elections, with 28% of the votes.

The Social Democrats were tasked with trying to form the government, as four parties that had declared their support for Andersson as prime minister together held 176 of 349 seats in Parliament, a narrow majority.

These four parties were: the Social Democrats; the Greens; the Center Party and the Left Party.

But between two of them, the Left Party and the Center Party, there were major disagreements.

Both parties refused to let the other become part of the government.

The situation worsened after the Left Party announced it would support Andreas Norlén, from the conservative Moderate Party, for the post of Speaker of Parliament.

Andersson said that, with this move, the Left Party was distancing itself from the group trying to form the government and that the other group should take on the task of forming the government.

Norlén was re-elected Speaker of Parliament today with 200 votes against 146.

The Left Party leader, Nooshi Dadgostar, disputed Andersson’s version.

She said she had supported Norlén because she considered him an experienced politician for leading Parliament.

What happens now?

After the failure of the talks between the center-left parties, the process of forming the government practically starts from scratch.

The Speaker of Parliament, Andreas Norlen, must again give a party the task of trying to form the government.

One possibility is that this task be taken again by Ulf Kristersson, the former conservative prime minister, who resigned after losing the elections.