Swedish Social Democrats abandon government formation attempts
Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson announced she has failed to form a government after her center-left bloc's narrow election win. The setback came after the Left Party said it would back a rival speaker candidate instead of hers.
Swedish Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson said on Monday that she would inform the parliament speaker of her decision to abandon attempts to form a government.
The decision follows a weekend statement from the Left Party saying it would support a rival candidate from the Moderate Party for parliament speaker, rather than the candidate put forward by Andersson.
Risk of instability
Andersson said the Left Party's move indicated that a center-left coalition government would have been unstable from the outset. She stated that she took the Left Party's signal seriously and, based on that and subsequent conversations, concluded she currently has no way to form a government.
Election results
In the parliamentary election, the center-left opposition won 176 seats in the Swedish parliament, against 173 for the right-wing bloc that had been in power. Despite winning, the narrow margin left the bloc unable to secure a stable coalition.
The parliament speaker will now decide which politician will be tasked with making a second attempt to form a government.
