Sweden after general election: Andersson submits resignation

Sweden’s Prime Minister Andersson has handed in her resignation after the narrow election defeat. When the conservative camp forms a government, the future role of the right-wing populists will be a central question.

Social Democratic Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson submitted her resignation after the conservative right-wing camp narrowly won the elections. Now the Reichstag and Parliament President Andreas Norlén have to decide on the process of forming a new government, she said in Stockholm. Until a new government is formed, Andersson will lead an interim government.

Kristersson wants “one, not split”

The conservative lead candidate Ulf Kristersson announced that he would now prepare the formation of a new, energetic government. “My message is I want one, not split,” he said in a video posted to Facebook. Before Kristersson can rally a political majority in parliament and become the new prime minister, he must agree on a government basis with the Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and Liberals. It is still unclear whether this will work.

After counting almost all the votes, Kristersson’s four-party bloc, including the Sweden Democrats, has 176 seats, Andersson’s camp has 173. 175 are needed for a majority in the 349-seat Stockholm Parliament. It’s time for “Sverige först” (Sweden first), wrote Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson on Facebook. Now the conditions in the winning camp have to be regulated in detail. This process will take some time.

“The formation of a government lies with the third-placed party”, Sofie Donges, ARD Stockholm, on the forthcoming change of power in Sweden

tagesschau24 11:00 a.m., September 15, 2022

How to deal with the right-wing populists?

A central question will be which of the parties will sit in government – and which, outside of such a coalition, will only serve as supporting parties in parliament. Kristersson’s moderates as well as the Christian Democrats and Liberals want to keep the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats out of the coalition, but need their support for conservative government policies. That is why they had already approached the right-wing populists, who had always been left out, during the previous term of office.

In view of their record result of over 20 percent, they are now likely to link their support to comprehensive concessions, for example on immigration issues and the fight against rampant gang crime in Sweden. The latter became the most important issue in the election campaign alongside the rise in energy prices. The Sweden Democrats made it into the Reichstag in Stockholm for the first time in 2010. Since then they have been able to continuously increase their election results.