The Sweden election has entered a more complicated phase. Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterna) leader Magdalena Andersson has returned the exploratory mandate she received to try to form Sweden’s next government, saying that there is currently no basis for her to continue.
Andersson announced the decision on Monday morning, ten days after Speaker Andreas Norlén asked her to explore whether she could form a government tolerated by the new Riksdag. According to SVT, she said the decisive development was the decision by the Left Party (Vänsterpartiet) to support Norlén in the election for Speaker.
“I can conclude that, at present, there is no possibility for me to form a government.”
The decision ends Andersson’s first attempt to put together a government, but not necessarily her chances of eventually becoming prime minister.
The Sweden election majority has not produced a common position
The four red-green parties won 176 of the Riksdag’s 349 seats, against 173 for the Tidö parties. But that numerical majority has not yet turned into a common political agreement.
The main disagreement has been known since election night. The Left Party wants to participate in an Andersson-led government, while the Centre Party (Centerpartiet) has ruled out a government containing Left Party ministers.
The conflict has now spread to the election of the Speaker.
The Left Party announced on Sunday that it would support Norlén, who belongs to the Moderate Party (Moderaterna). Deputy leader Ida Gabrielsson told SVT that the party wanted an experienced and stable Speaker because the process of forming a government could take a long time.
Together with the four Tidö parties, the Left Party gives Norlén enough votes to remain in the post.
Andersson says a new parliamentary constellation has emerged
Andersson reacted strongly to that decision.
She referred to the Swedish tradition of the largest governing party holding the position of Speaker and argued that the Left Party’s choice had created what she described as a “new constellation” in the Riksdag involving the Left Party and the Moderates.
According to Andersson, it would therefore be reasonable for that constellation to be given the opportunity to explore whether it can also find common ground on forming a government.
She rejected the suggestion that returning the mandate was simply a tactic to increase pressure on the other parties.
At the same time, she did not rule out becoming prime minister later.
“At present, I do not see that the conditions exist. How things develop over the coming weeks remains to be seen.”
That distinction is important. Andersson is giving up the exploratory mandate for now, rather than permanently withdrawing as a candidate for prime minister.
The Left Party says its support for Andersson has not changed
The Left Party rejects Andersson’s interpretation.
Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar called the Social Democrats’ reaction “somewhat strange” and denied that the party had entered a new political bloc with the Moderates.
The party says its support for Norlén concerns the office of Speaker, not the formation of a government.
Gabrielsson was even more explicit about the prime ministerial question.
“We have been very clear that we will never vote for anyone other than Magdalena Andersson.”
She described Andersson’s decision as rushed and said the Left Party had chosen Norlén for completely different reasons.
The disagreement therefore creates an unusual situation. The Left Party continues to say that it wants Andersson as prime minister, while Andersson says the party’s actions have made it impossible for her to continue trying to form a government at this stage.
The Centre and Green parties are also frustrated
The Left Party’s decision has created tensions with the other red-green parties as well.
Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist said the parties had held very constructive talks about finding a common candidate for Speaker before the Left Party chose to support Norlén.
The Green Party (Miljöpartiet) has also criticised the decision. Party spokespersons Amanda Lind and Daniel Helldén said they were disappointed, with Helldén arguing that the move makes the government formation more difficult.
SVT described the broader political reaction in an analysis with the headline “Everyone is angry with the Left Party”.
The phrase reflects the frustration among the other red-green parties, but it does not mean that the Left Party has formally switched sides. Its leaders continue to support Andersson for prime minister.
The Social Democrats have their own candidate for Speaker
The Social Democrats have meanwhile decided to challenge Norlén in Monday’s Speaker election.
Shortly before the vote, the party nominated Johanna Haraldsson, an MP since 2014. Social Democratic parliamentary group leader Lena Hallengren described her as solution-oriented and capable of gaining support across party lines.
The Centre Party announced that it would vote for Haraldsson.
The Left Party, however, continues to support Norlén. This means that the four parties that together won a majority in the election have failed to agree on their first major institutional decision in the new Riksdag.
For the Social Democrats, that disagreement matters because the Speaker will have a central role in the next stage of the government formation.
The centre-right parties now see an opening
The centre-right parties have responded to Andersson’s decision by questioning the strength of the red-green majority.
Moderate Party parliamentary group leader Mattias Karlsson told reporters that Andersson had not made a serious enough attempt to bring her side together, despite having a mathematical majority in parliament.
Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) leader Jimmie Åkesson said Andersson’s decision was expected because the difficulties within her parliamentary base had been evident for some time.
Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna) leader Ebba Busch said her party remained ready to take responsibility for the country. The Moderate Party, Christian Democrats and Liberals (Liberalerna) have also pointed to the Centre Party as potentially decisive in creating another parliamentary majority.
The Centre Party has so far rejected any government dependent on the Sweden Democrats.
Andersson may still return
Andersson’s announcement does not resolve the government crisis. It sends the initiative back to the Speaker.
The person elected Speaker will now have to decide who should next be asked to explore the formation of a government.
One possibility is that the mandate eventually returns to Andersson. TV 2 Denmark’s Nordic correspondent Jesper Zølck described her move as a first round in a longer process in which the initiative could move between Andersson and former prime minister Ulf Kristersson.
The basic parliamentary problem has not changed. The red-green parties still have 176 seats, but the Centre Party and Left Party remain far apart over what an Andersson government should look like.
The election produced a majority capable of replacing the Tidö government. The events of the past few days have shown that having 176 seats and knowing how to use them are two different things.
