Swedish Speaker Gives Andersson Another Chance to Form Government
Sweden's parliamentary speaker has asked Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson to make a renewed attempt at forming a government after her first try collapsed. Andersson previously served as prime minister from 2021 to 2022.
Swedish parliamentary Speaker Andreas Norlén announced on Friday that he has again tasked Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson with exploring options to form a new government. Norlén told a press conference that the decision was based on his consultations with party representatives.
First Attempt Failed
In the September 13 election, the left-wing bloc won the most seats in parliament. However, Andersson's initial attempt to bring together four left-leaning parties — the Social Democrats, the Left Party, the Green Party and the Centre Party — into a single government fell apart.
The core problem was deep tension within the bloc. The Centre Party had objected to the possibility of cabinet posts being given to Left Party representatives, while the Left Party insisted it would only back a left-wing government that included its own politicians in the cabinet. This disagreement blocked a deal from the outset, when negotiations were already expected to be difficult.
A Second Chance to Return as Prime Minister
Should Andersson manage this time to reconcile the feuding left-wing parties, she would return to a post she left more than three years ago. The 59-year-old, long known as Sweden's finance minister, became the country's first female prime minister in 2021. That government, however, lasted less than a year before falling in October 2022.
It remains unclear how much time Norlén has given for the new round of talks to conclude, but the speaker's decision signals that, after the first failed attempt, the political sides are being given another chance to find a compromise.
