Swedens government formation stalled as Moderate leader Kristersson seeks non-socialist majority support

Almost three weeks after Sweden’s general election, the country remains without a new government as political infighting delays the formation process.
Speaker Andreas Norlén (M) reopened consultations with party leaders on Wednesday morning, excluding Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson, who had already returned her exploratory mandate after failing to secure support. Andersson’s first attempt collapsed after the Left Party broke ranks by voting for Norlén as speaker, a move that triggered a public rift among the red-green bloc.
Social Democratic group leader Lena Hallengren told Swedish Radio that the party now considers it reasonable for Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson to take up the exploratory task. Hallengren emphasized that Andersson had not “given up” but acknowledged that the election result had dashed some parties’ expectations of their preferred government configurations. She specifically pointed to the Left Party and the Centre Party as holding unrealistic ambitions.
Kristersson has signaled willingness to accept the mandate only if there are “parliamentary conditions for a non-socialist majority.” His current coalition partners hold 173 seats, short of a majority, and would require the Centre Party’s support—but the Centre Party has ruled out any cooperation with the Sweden Democrats.
Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson criticized the exploratory process as a “nonsense” invented by speakers to handle difficult parliamentary situations. He demanded that Andersson be tested in a confidence vote before any new mandate is issued.
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