The Riksdag says no to Magdalena Andersson as prime minister

At lunchtime on Thursday, the first prime ministerial vote after the election took place. The Riksdag members then had to decide whether the Social Democrats' party leader Magdalena Andersson would be allowed to form a pure S-government.

With an overwhelming majority, the Riksdag voted no to Magdalena Andersson with the vote numbers 248–99. Only members of the Social Democrats pressed the green button, the rest voted red.

The outcome was hardly unexpected. The S leader already said on Tuesday that she saw no possibility of winning the vote.

- I will fall and then it will be time for someone else, she said.

Now Speaker Andreas Norlén must find a new person to probe the possibilities of forming a government. Both he and Magdalena Andersson have pointed to M leader Ulf Kristersson as the most natural choice.

- I have been clear that I think the best thing is that the party leader of Sweden's second largest party gets the assignment, and that is Kristersson, said Magdalena Andersson before the vote.

However, Ulf Kristersson is skeptical about taking the assignment.

- Ultimately, it is the parliamentary reality, the mandates, that decide. As long as there are 176 mandates that point to a Social Democratic-led government, there are no parliamentary prerequisites for a non-socialist government. If that were to change, I am ready, said Ulf Kristersson on Wednesday.

The parliamentary reality is that the four parties that want Magdalena Andersson gather 176 seats against the Tidö parties' 173. If Ulf Kristersson is to be able to remain as Prime Minister, the Center Party must change sides and accept a government alternative that includes the Sweden Democrats. However, C's door to SD is still closed and the party's candidate for prime minister is still Magdalena Andersson.

"The center party remains ready for talks that can lead to a stable government. Our door is open to Magdalena Andersson and to other parties that we said during the election campaign that we could cooperate with in a government," said C leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist in a written comment before the prime ministerial vote.

The Riksdag can conduct a maximum of four prime ministerial votes. If there is then no candidate accepted by the Riksdag, there will automatically be additional elections.