The key facts
- Andersson failed to form a government for the second time due to disagreements between the Centre Party and the Left Party
- Speaker Norlen scheduled the vote on Andersson's candidacy for Thursday despite the predicted failure
- The speaker has four attempts to nominate a prime minister; if all fail — snap elections
Andersson's second failed attempt
Leader of Sweden's Social Democratic Party Magdalena Andersson said on Tuesday, 13 October, that she had failed to form a government together with the three other parties of the left bloc after the 13 September elections. 'Overall, I believe some progress has been made, but at the same time there are currently no conditions for forming a government that parliament would be prepared to tolerate,' she said at a press conference. Andersson spoke after her report to Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen and said she was ready for a vote on her candidacy, although, in her words, she would very likely lose it.
The vote will still take place
Shortly after Andersson's statement, Norlen announced at a separate press conference that parliament would nevertheless put the question of appointing her prime minister to a vote. According to him, there was an agreement from the very beginning that Andersson's talks 'would conclude with a vote on the candidacy for prime minister regardless of how the exploratory talks went.' The vote is scheduled for Thursday, and the speaker acknowledged that Andersson will probably not be approved. After the vote, he will meet with party leaders again to determine the next candidate.
The balance in parliament and contradictions within the bloc
Andersson's centre-left bloc won 176 seats in parliament against 173 for the right-wing bloc of incumbent Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, which includes the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats. A conflict persists within Andersson's bloc: the Centre Party has said it will oppose a government in which the Left Party receives posts in the cabinet, while the Left Party insists it will support a left-wing government only on condition of its own participation. Under the Swedish system, a candidate becomes prime minister if a majority of deputies does not vote against them.
What comes next
Norlen first tasked Andersson with starting negotiations on 18 September, but on 28 September she abandoned the attempt due to deep ideological disagreements within the bloc. Since the parties' positions had not changed, she was asked to try again. After the second failure, the speaker is expected to entrust the formation of the government to Kristersson, who currently heads a caretaker cabinet. Norlen called him the natural candidate but did not commit to that decision in advance, noting that he 'respects the process.' Kristersson will have to convince at least one opposition party to support him or at least not vote against. The speaker has four attempts to propose a candidate for prime minister; if the fourth fails, snap elections must be called.
