Sweden’s Centre Party (Centerpartiet) has put its plan for a centrist government on hold after a week of talks failed to produce enough parliamentary support. Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist returned her exploratory mandate to Speaker of Parliament Andreas Norlén on Monday 26 October, leaving Sweden’s government negotiations without a new agreement.
Thand Ringqvist said the meetings had been constructive but had not changed the political divisions that have blocked the formation of a government since September’s election.
The Swedish Riksdag confirmed that Norlén had received her report and would now consult party representatives by telephone before deciding how to proceed.
A week of talks could not produce a centrist government
Thand Ringqvist was given the exploratory mandate on 19 October, after the Riksdag rejected Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson as prime minister.
She met the leaders of the other parliamentary parties to examine a government that could bridge Sweden’s traditional political blocs.
Her preferred arrangement would bring together the Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterna), Green Party (Miljöpartiet), Centre Party, Liberals (Liberalerna) and Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna), with Andersson as prime minister.
At a press conference following her meeting with Norlén, Thand Ringqvist made a distinction between agreement on policies and agreement on who should govern. As reported by TT through Sweden Herald, she said:
“Today, there is a majority for centrist policies, but not for a centrist government.”
That was her assessment of the discussions, rather than an indication that the parties had agreed on a common political programme.
The central problem is that the Liberals and Christian Democrats still support Moderate Party (Moderaterna) leader Ulf Kristersson as prime minister, rather than Andersson.
The Centre Party’s red lines have not changed
The failure of the centrist initiative has not persuaded Thand Ringqvist to soften her party’s opposition to governing with the Left Party (Vänsterpartiet) or cooperating with the Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna).
She told SVT that the Centre Party’s position on Left Party ministers remained unchanged.
Thand Ringqvist also called on other parties to reconsider their own conditions and asked the Social Democrats to clarify what kind of government they wanted to form.
The Centre Party remains willing to discuss a political agreement with the Left Party, provided it drops its demand for cabinet seats.
It has also said it could tolerate a single-party Social Democratic government pursuing centrist policies, although no such agreement has been reached.
Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar offered a different interpretation. In a statement reported by TT, she argued that the centrist option had now been tested and that Sweden faced a choice between a red-green government and a Tidö government.
She called on the Centre Party to decide which alternative it would support rather than risk another election.
The centrist option is on hold, not permanently abandoned
Although Thand Ringqvist acknowledged that her proposed government lacks parliamentary support under the present conditions, she did not rule out returning to the idea later.
She suggested that the pressure created by further unsuccessful prime ministerial votes could eventually encourage parties to reconsider their positions.
SVT political commentator Elisabeth Marmorstein interpreted this as a hope that the Liberals might change course if an extraordinary election drew nearer.
Liberal leader Simona Mohamsson, however, reiterated on Monday that her preferred prime minister remained Kristersson.
The deadlock has persisted despite the four parties supporting Andersson holding 176 of the Riksdag’s 349 seats, compared with 173 for the outgoing Tidö grouping.
The Left Party insists on joining a government it supports, while the Centre Party refuses to serve alongside it.
Norlén must decide how the talks continue
Only one formal prime ministerial vote has taken place since the election.
On 15 October, Parliament rejected Andersson’s proposed single-party government by 248 votes to 99.
Under Sweden’s constitutional rules, an extraordinary election becomes mandatory if the Riksdag rejects four proposed prime ministers. Three possible votes therefore remain before that mechanism would be triggered.
For now, Norlén has not announced a new exploratory mandate or another parliamentary vote. He will consult the party leaders before determining the next step.
After two unsuccessful exploratory periods for Andersson and one for Thand Ringqvist, another possible route to a government has been tested without producing an agreement.
The question now is whether the next round brings a different government proposal or another attempt to reconcile the same parliamentary divisions.
