When the party leaders arrived for the opening of the National Assembly, the formation of a government was high on the agenda.
The day before, S leader Magdalena Andersson gave up her probe attempts because she failed to unite the Center Party and the Left Party.
- I don't see that there are any conditions to probe now. Several parties have drawn red lines ahead of the election, and they are incompatible. The parties need to start blurring their red lines or this won't work.
Which party needs to erase its red lines, C or V?
- Parties that have drawn red lines need to work for a solution, so that we can get a new government in place. No one has gotten 50 percent and then you don't get everything you want either.
What is your responsibility?
- I can of course try to collect these parties. But parties make decisions about which red lines they draw, they are also the ones who can start erasing them, says the S leader.
On Wednesday, the speaker will meet all the party leaders once more, and then decide who will get the next probe mission.
With him to the Riksdag on Tuesday, SD leader Jimmie Åkesson had a demand for the speaker: Try Andersson in a prime ministerial vote already now.
The S-leader replies that it is up to the speaker to decide, she herself believes that it is Ulf Kristersson's turn - especially considering what happened on Monday.
- Given that the Left Party teamed up with the Moderates to vote for a moderate speaker candidate instead of a social democratic one, it is reasonable that one of those parties is tasked with probing. Then Ulf Kristersson is an obvious candidate, Andersson says.
Her condition for any negotiations is to "always be honest".
- Trying to come up with emergency lies and foul play to achieve profits is very short-sighted. Politics is about building long-term relationships and mutual trust for each other.
The left party's actions during the speaker election have affected trust between the parties, the S leader believes.
- It hasn't been the best week. It can get better, she says.
The Green Party's spokesperson Daniel Helldén calls the Left Party's decision "stupid" in an interview with SVT. And Center leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist says that she thought that S, C, MP and V agreed on an S candidate.
Thand Ringqvist will propose that the speaker give the next probe task to M leader Ulf Kristersson.
- It seems logical now that Magdalena Andersson has returned it and he is the leader of the second largest party.
Can he get your support as prime minister?
- We have said that we can sit in a government with S, MP, KD, L and M. But we have also said that we cannot sit in a government that includes SD, or cooperate with such a government.
Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson says he is ready to test the possibilities for a government if he gets the job. After the election, he has tried to get the Center Party on his side, but has so far been met with a cold hand.
When asked if he can bring the Center Party and SD together, he does not sound very hopeful.
- If there are parliamentary prerequisites for a non-socialist government with a majority, then I am prepared to try that matter. The last time I checked, that majority did not exist, says Kristersson.
Left-wing leader Nooshi Dadgostar says that the Riksdag now has an experienced speaker who solved complicated situations before.
- But he has an obstacle, that the Center Party cannot choose between the left side and the right side.
Isn't your red line that you have to sit in a government also an obstacle?
- No, we say yes to everyone. Our voters are no less valuable than the Center Party's voters are. We are also more and bigger than C is. All four of us need to sit around a table.
The deadlocks between the parties are somewhat reminiscent of the situation in 2018, says Speaker Andreas Norlén. Then it took 134 days to form a government. Norlén says that he will take the tools out of the "speaker's toolbox".
- Exploratory missions, deadlines and prime ministerial votes. I will in a thoughtful way use them to get momentum in the process.
Bringing a dose of humor to the negotiation table can lighten the mood, advises Norlén.
- We are dealing with serious things, but not everything has to be gravely serious.
