Swedish Parliament Speaker Tasks Andersson With Forming New Government
Sweden's Political Transition and Andersson's Mandate
STOCKHOLM, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The speaker of Sweden's parliament asked opposition leader and ex-premier Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats to form a new government after Sunday's centre-left election victory.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of the right-wing Moderates announced his resignation on Thursday after his four-party bloc suffered a narrow defeat.
Speaker's Announcement and Andersson's Response
"She has told me that she is ready to take on this task," speaker Andreas Norlen told a press conference.
Challenges in Forming a Coalition
Andersson faces an uphill task uniting four opposition political parties, some of which have said they do not want to govern together or support a government they are not part of.
After meeting Norlen, she said Swedes had voted for a new direction.
Andersson's Vision for Sweden
"It is important that there is a government that does not seek to divide our people ... but rather a government that works to unite Sweden and, in doing so, move the country forward," she said.
Background on Andersson and Government Formation
Andersson became Sweden's first woman prime minister in 2021 and served a 10-month term.
She said she wanted to build a broad coalition, but did not say which parties she expected to join her in government. She has aleady excluded any cooperation with the far-right Sweden Democrats.
Government Formation Process and Timeline
Forming a government may take some time. After the 2018 election, it took a record 134 days for Social Democrat leader Stefan Lofven to win parliamentary backing.
The speaker can approach four candidates to form a government. If all are rejected by parliament, the outgoing government stays on in an interim capacity until a new election is held within three months.
(Reporting by Simon Johnson and Terje Solsvik; editing by Louise Rasmussen and Kevin Liffey)
