Sweden’s PM quits but urges parliament to avoid early election

28 June 2021, 11:34

Sweden’s prime minister Stefan Lofven (Stina Stjernkvist/AP)
Sweden Politics. Picture: PA

Mr Lofven, who has been premier since 2014, is the first Swedish leader ever to lose a confidence vote in parliament.

Swedish prime minister Stefan Lofven is resigning after losing a confidence vote last week and he called on the country’s parliament to try to form a new government instead of holding an early election.

Mr Lofven, who has been premier since 2014 and heads the Social Democratic Party, became the first Swedish leader ever to lose a confidence vote in parliament.

He did not call for an early election as the Swedish Constitution allows him to.

He is formally stepping down, but will continue in a caretaker role until a new government can be formed.

“A snap election is not what is best for Sweden,” Mr Lofven said.

“The speaker will now begin work on proposing a prime minister who can be tolerated by the Riksdag (the assembly).

“The government will continue to govern the country for now but as the caretaking government.”

Stefan Lofven, centre (Nils Petter Nilsson/AP)
Stefan Lofven, centre (Nils Petter Nilsson/AP)

The parliament speaker since 2018, Andreas Norlen, will ask party leaders who may be able to form a government.

He alone decides which of the party leaders can begin these talks.

It is expected that Mr Lofven, who heads Sweden’s largest party with 100 of Riksdagen’s 349 seats, will start these talks.

His Cabinet, a Social Democratic-Green coalition, is a minority government that has relied on votes from the small Left Party to pass laws.

The no-confidence motion against Mr Lofven was called by the nationalist Sweden Democrats party which has been criticising the Social Democratic Party for years but it ultimately succeeded because the Left Party withdrew its support from the government over proposed legislation to tackle a housing shortage.

Politicians voted 181-109 against Mr Lofven, with 51 abstentions.

The political situation in Sweden now seems deadlocked.

Mr Lofven has been able to get the Left Party back as an ally but the small Liberals, which earlier supported the Social Democratic-led government, now want a centre-right government.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, still want Mr Lofven at the helm but do not want to made deals with the Sweden Democrats or the left-leaning Left Party.

In the centre-right bloc, the Moderates, Sweden’s second largest party, wants its leader Ulf Kristersson as prime minister.

The last time coalition talks took place in Sweden was following the 2018 election that created a deadlocked parliament.

It took four months of negotiations to produce a government that Mr Lofven presented in January 2019.

Mr Norlen told Swedish broadcaster SVT that the different parties now know where the others “stand” and promised that government formation talks would be faster this time.

In the present assembly, the left-leaning side and the centre-right bloc have about 40% of the vote each.

None of the sides want to cooperate with the Sweden Democrats, a right-wing populist party that is considered extreme.

In Sweden, the next general election will be held on September 11.

Mr Lofven said he was ready to head a government if that is what the Riksdagen wants.

“My party is ready to shoulder the responsibility to continue to lead our country forward together with other constructive forces,” he said.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

d

Fears for Brit tourist Liam Hannigan, 34, missing for three days in Tenerife as desperate family say ‘phone was switched off’

A bouquet of chrysanthemums with a message, 'Don't be in pain and rest in peace,' is laid at an elementary school in the central city of Daejeon on Feb. 11, 2025.

Teacher admits to stabbing seven-year-old girl to death at school

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)

'All hell will break out': Trump says Gaza ceasefire 'should be axed' if Hamas doesn't free all hostages on Saturday

Matar is accused of trying to murder Salman Rushdie

Man accused of trying to murder Salman Rushdie says 'Free Palestine' as he is led into court

Israeli captive Eli Sharabi was handed over on Saturday

Hamas delays the release of hostages 'until further notice' over claims Israel violated ceasefire deal

Donald Trump has said he is working on a plan to broker a deal to bring an end the war in Ukraine

Trump's Russia-Ukraine plan explained: How the US President intends to end the war

Keith Kellogg has reportedly told allies he is preparing 'end of war' options to present to Donald Trump

America's Russia-Ukraine envoy preparing 'end of war options' to present to Trump

The bodies of Andrew Searle and his wife Dawn were discovered by a neighbour

Mystery grows over couple found dead in rural France as friends reject murder-suicide theory

Three Israeli Hostages Released As Part Of Ceasefire Deal

Abuse suffered by Hamas hostages during their 500 days in captivity revealed

Garda

Man arrested after several people stabbed in Dublin

The plane was forced to make an emergency landing

easyJet flight forced to make emergency landing after pilot collapses on board

Donald Trump has spoken to Vladimir Putin

Trump confirms he 'spoke to Putin about ending war in Ukraine' as Russian president 'wants to see people stop dying'

displaced Gazans walking toward Gaza City on January 27, 2025, after crossing the Netzarim corridor from the southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops withdraw from key militarised corridor that splits Gaza in two as part of ceasefire deal

The bodies of Andrew Searle and his wife Dawn were discovered by a neighbour in Les Pesquiès, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, on Thursday afternoon.

Mysterious death of British couple in French villa suspected murder-suicide as investigators consider new theories

David Schwimmer has called for Elon Musk to ban Kanye West from X

Friends star David Schwimmer calls for Kanye West to be banned from X over 'hate-filled, ignorant' remarks

The NTSB recovers the debris of a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk involved in a mid-air collision near DCA in Arlington, VA.

All major parts of DC plane and Black Hawk helicopter involved in mid-air collision recovered, investigators confirm