Sweden’s centre-left leader fails in second bid to form government

What the report says

Sweden’s Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson said on Tuesday that her latest attempt to build a government had failed, extending the post-election stalemate more than a month after the country’s parliamentary vote. Al Jazeera reported that Andersson told reporters the talks had reached an impasse and that the conditions were not there to form a cabinet that could win parliamentary acceptance.

The deadlock stems from divisions inside Sweden’s broader centre-left bloc. According to the report, Andersson has been trying to negotiate with three other parties after the September 13 election, but the Centre Party does not want a government that includes the Left Party, while the Left Party says it will only back a left-wing government if it is part of it. The bloc won a narrow majority over outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing alliance, but it has not been able to turn that edge into a governing coalition.

Parliament speaker Andreas Norlen said a vote on Andersson’s nomination would still go ahead on Thursday, though he indicated she was likely to fall short. Under Sweden’s system, a prime minister can take office as long as a majority does not vote against the nominee.

If Andersson loses, Norlen is expected to turn to Kristersson for further negotiations. The report noted that the speaker has four chances to put forward a prime ministerial candidate before a snap election must be called.