Swedish Social Democrats end exploratory talks to form a government

The leader of the Swedish Social Democrats, Magdalena Andersson, has declared her party's exploratory talks to have failed. There is no possibility of forming a government, the 59-year-old politician said in a press conference.

She was reacting to the Left Party's announcement that it would vote for the incumbent Andreas Norlén, who belongs to the conservative camp, in the election of parliamentary speaker. In the early afternoon, Norlén won the election with 200 votes to 146 against the Social Democrats' candidate, Johanna Haraldsson, the TT news agency reported.

Andersson said she takes the Left Party's message seriously. Because of this and based on conversations she has had, she has come to the conclusion that she currently lacks the opportunity to form a government. After Andersson's announcement, the President of Parliament must now decide who he will give the task of forming a government to.

In the parliamentary election ten days ago, the Social Democrats became the strongest force with 28 percent of the vote. Together, the four opposition parties that had announced that they would support Andersson as head of government achieved a narrow majority of 176 of the 349 seats. In addition to the Social Democrats, the Greens and the liberal Center Party, these also included the Left. However, it was already becoming apparent that forming a government would be difficult.

The conservative camp made up of the previous three-party government and the right-wing populists was defeated with 173 seats. The conservative head of government Ulf Kristersson then submitted his resignation. Andersson now gave back the task of forming a government and announced that the left was now part of another bloc that should be given the task.

The leader of the Left, Nooshi Dadgostar, rejected this. She described Andersson's reaction as strange. Her party made it clear that the support for Norlén had no party tactical background, but was due to the desire to elect an experienced politician as parliamentary speaker, she told the Expressen newspaper.