Sweden gets new government

Finally. Stefan Lofven starts his second four-year term as prime minister - forming a government four months after the election and weeks of political wrangling. 

  • Stefan Löfven was elected Sweden's Prime Minister on Friday. Löfven, Sweden's former, yet still acting, prime minister lost a no-confidence vote on September 25.

  • After the longest political standoff in the country’s history, Sweden finally has a government. As of Friday, January 18, 2019 — four months after the general election — Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven won parliament’s support to head a new centre-left minority government. This will be Löfven’s second four-year term as prime minister, piecing together a coalition unified in part by a determination to keep the nationalist party, the Sweden Democrats, from power.
    “All around the world we are seeing how right-wing extremism is gaining influence,” Löfven said after winning the vote. “An increasing number of governments are becoming dependent on parties with an anti-democratic agenda, but in Sweden we stand up for democracy, for equality. Sweden has chosen a different path.” The new government is from the outset one of Sweden’s weakest in recent history. The coalition will only comprise the Social Democrats and the Green Party; the Center Party and the Liberals are breaking away from their traditional partners in the center-right Alliance to join Löfven but will provide the parliamentary support the prime minister needs to stay in power. The Left Party has agreed not to topple Löfven — at least not for now.
    The slow government formation has made Swedes’ loose confidence in politicians. According to one survey, 65 percent state that they have reduced confidence in politicians in general since the election.

  • 01.14.2019:
    Vote Friday - Stefan Lofven is the speaker's third candidate
    With the support of C, L, MP and V the leader of the social democrats could be elected Sweden's Prime Minister on Friday.
    After Sweden's Left Party announced its support of a Lofven government the speaker announced his choice during a press conference today. He is the third prime minister candidate to be voted for by parliament.

  • Since MP, C, L and V have said that they will support Stefan Löfven there's a good chance that he will be elected, speaker Andreas Norlén said when he announced his election of Prime Minister candidate on Wednesday January 16.

  • On Monday, Jan. 14 Norlén postponed the planned prime ministerial vote for 48 hours allowing Stefan Löfven (s) time to negotiate with Jonas Sjöstedt (v), who initially said Sweden's Left Party would not support his election. Thus, the planned prime ministerial vote became postponed until January 18, speaker of parliament Andreas Norlén said at a press conference.

  • "Several party leaders have asked for some additional time. My starting point is that I have already allowed a lot of extra time on this process. There has been plenty of time during Christmas to conduct government negotiations and ensure all the support needed. I am very critical that it turned out this government solution does not have all the necessary support," he said during the press conference on January 14.

  • According to the new schedule, the speaker presented his proposal for a new prime minister to the Riksdag today, January 16. The vote in parliament will take place on Friday, January 18 at 9 a.m. local time.

  • If a prime minister cannot be elected on January 18, the fourth and final prime ministerial vote will be held next week. If a prime minister is not chosen at that time a new election must be held within three months.

  • The negotiations leading up to the upcoming vote in parliament: S and MP in government supported by C and L