Monday 22 November 2021
Election despite pending agreement
Sweden is heading for the first head of government
The exploratory talks in Sweden are not yet over, but the Social Democrats believe that they are on the right track. They can also convince the parliamentary president of this, who allows the party leader to be elected as prime minister.
Despite a lack of agreement at the exploratory talks in Sweden, the previous finance minister Magdalena Andersson has been nominated as the next prime minister. She would be the first woman in this office. Andersson had reported to him that she had not yet reached an agreement with the Left Party, but the talks went well and she was ready for a vote in the Swedish parliament, said parliamentary speaker Andreas Norlén in Stockholm. He had therefore decided to propose the Social Democrat as a candidate for the office of Prime Minister. Shortly afterwards, he formally announced this decision in parliament. This means that the Reichstag will vote on her as the new head of government on Wednesday.
The resigned head of government Stefan Löfven had resigned from office almost two weeks after seven years at the head of government. At the beginning of the month, the Social Democrats had elected 54-year-old Andersson as the new party leader.
Four attempts for power
In addition to the approval of her green coalition partner, she also needs the support of the center and left parties in parliament. Left-wing boss Nooshi Dadgostar demanded concessions in return, such as increasing pensions and sick pay. So far, Andersson and Dadgostar have not been able to finally come to an agreement.
Meanwhile, today, Monday, Andersson said the Social Democrats and the Greens were ready to “make further improvements for the people with the lowest pensions”. “The question is how far we can go,” she narrowed.
In order to become prime minister, Andersson cannot be rejected by an absolute majority in parliament. The 54-year-old has four attempts, after which new elections must be scheduled within three months.
In August, after a politically turbulent summer, Löfven surprisingly announced that he would retire as head of the Social Democrats and then as head of government. Löfven’s decision to give up his post as prime minister less than a year before the parliamentary elections in September 2022 is apparently a political calculation: his resignation gives the Social Democrats the opportunity to campaign under new leadership. The party is currently struggling with poor poll results.