Sweden’s Prime Minister will have to step down following a vote of no confidence with no clear government in waiting after the far-right made huge gains at the election.
Voters delivered a hung parliament in the September 9 election with Stefan Lofven’s centre-left bloc garnering 144 seats, one more than the centre-right opposition Alliance.
The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, with 62 seats and shunned by all parties since entering parliament in 2010, backed the Alliance in today’s vote – an obligatory test of the prime minister’s parliamentary support after an election.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven is to be ousted in a vote of no confidence with no clear government in waiting after the far-right made huge gains at the election
Analysts expect the speaker to pick Ulf Kristersson, leader of the biggest Alliance party, the Moderates, to try to form a new administration.
But lacking a majority, he needs support either from the Sweden Democrats, with roots in the white supremacist fringe, or the centre left.
‘If the Alliance parties choose to try to govern as the smallest bloc, then they make themselves totally dependent on the Sweden Democrats,’ said Lofven, who has been prime minister since 2014.
Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Akesson repeated on Tuesday his party wanted a say in policy as the price of supporting a new government.
‘We will do everything in our power to stop any attempt to form a government, do everything to bring down every government, which does not give us a reasonable influence in proportion to our electoral support,’ Akesson said.
The Alliance of the Moderates, Centre, Liberal and Christian Democrats has said it will not negotiate with the Sweden Democrats, who want to freeze immigration and have called for a new vote on membership of the European Union.
Lofven ruled out backing an Alliance government, leaving politics deadlocked.
‘I want to continue to lead the country as prime minister,’ he said.
‘I want to lead a government that has broader support in the country’s parliament and that allows us to leave stalemate of bloc politics.’
The speaker has four goes at finding a new government and if the stalemate continues, Sweden will hold another election within three months.
With a new vote unlikely to change the situation much, some kind of compromise is likely to be thrashed out.
A number of party combinations have been suggested, but all would have a heavy political cost and a deal is could take weeks.
Lofven will lead a transition government until a new administration is installed.
