Outgoing Swedish Prime Minister tasked with forming a new government

Conservative outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has been tasked with attempting to form a new government in Sweden, amid ongoing political deadlock more than seven weeks after the parliamentary elections.

Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlén gave Kristersson, who has been leading a caretaker government since his defeat in the September 13 elections, a one-week deadline to try to form a government that commands a parliamentary majority.

The elections resulted in the center-left opposition bloc securing 176 seats, compared to 173 seats for Kristersson’s right-wing bloc, which includes the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats.

The four parties comprising the center-left bloc have failed in several attempts to form a government. Kristersson is also expected to face difficulties in assembling a parliamentary majority. Speaking to journalists in parliament, he said, “I can already see that the task will be difficult, perhaps very difficult, but it may not be entirely impossible.” He added, “The calculations have not changed, nor has the distribution of seats in parliament.”

Earlier, MPs rejected the nomination of Center Party leader Ebba Busch Thor for the post of prime minister in a parliamentary vote. This outcome was widely anticipated after Busch Thor informed the parliamentary speaker of the failure of her efforts to form a government comprising parties from both the right and the left.

Political differences between the parties have prevented either camp from securing a parliamentary majority. Although the four center-left parties hold a numerical majority, the Center Party refuses to cooperate with the Left Party, whose support is essential for forming a left-wing majority. Conversely, the Left Party has insisted it will not support a left-wing government unless it is part of it.

Busch Thor told AFP on Tuesday, “There are many red lines.”

Under Sweden’s political system, the parliamentary speaker is entitled to propose four candidates for prime minister to a vote by MPs. Once these attempts are exhausted, new elections must be called. Observers believe that parties will face increasing pressure to make concessions on their political “red lines” as the risk of early elections looms.

Tuesday’s vote on Busch Thor’s nomination was the second parliamentary vote to choose a prime minister. On October 15, MPs rejected the nomination of Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson, a result also widely expected after she failed in two attempts to form a government.

Sweden is accustomed to lengthy government formation negotiations, which took 37 days after the 2022 elections and 134 days after the 2018 elections.