Successor to Swedish Prime Minister to be named
Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic Party (SAP) concluded intra-party talks today to nominate a new candidate for Prime Minister.
The party nominated Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson as the country’s new Prime Minister, awaiting parliamentary confirmation.
On June 21, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. With Lofven’s ruling SAP having held a fragile minority coalition since 2018 (100 out of 349 seats), the Left Party and other right wing parties temporarily banded together to agree on the vote, though both sides remain at odds on what a post-Lofven Sweden should look like.
The far-right Sweden Democrats—now the country’s third largest party—pose a challenge to strong majoritarian rule, creating greater uncertainty around whether Andersson will receive enough votes. Nonetheless, Andersson will likely become Prime Minister considering that the Centre, Left and Green parties hope to minimize the Sweden Democrats’ influence on policy. Thus, expect these groups to set aside their policy disagreements to avoid a Sweden Democrat and Moderate Party coalition nominee. However, if the Democrats continue to gain popularity, expect the September 2022 elections to provide a serious challenge to Andersson’s position if she is confirmed as Prime Minister.
Wake up smarter with an assessment of the stories that will make headlines in the next 24 hours. Download The Daily Brief.
