Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has been granted an additional week to negotiate the formation of a new government, parliament’s speaker announced on Tuesday, as the opposition continues to struggle to secure the support needed to take power despite winning the September election.
Last week, parliamentary speaker Andreas Norlen asked Kristersson to explore forming a government after the far-right Sweden Democrats abandoned their demand for cabinet positions. The move could improve Kristersson’s chances of securing support from the Centre Party for his right-wing bloc, rather than allowing it to align with centre-left opposition leader Magdalena Andersson.
Kristersson’s coalition lost its parliamentary majority in the September election. However, Andersson, leader of the Social Democrats, has also been unable to secure the backing of the Greens, the Left Party and the Centre Party, whose support is necessary for her to win a parliamentary vote and become prime minister.
Kristersson’s initial mandate to negotiate a government was scheduled to expire on Tuesday. However, Norlen said he would hold another round of discussions with all party leaders and allow the prime minister an additional week to reach an agreement.
He added that further decisions regarding the government formation process would be communicated after the extended deadline.
Meanwhile, Andersson said on Tuesday that she had requested another opportunity from the speaker to form a government, as she continues efforts to gather sufficient parliamentary support for her premiership.
She is seeking to persuade the Left Party to reconsider its demand for cabinet participation. The Centre Party has ruled out supporting a government that includes the Left Party, which has faced allegations of anti-Semitism, and could instead support Kristersson’s right-wing alternative.
“My assessment is that things are starting to move now,” Andersson told the news agency TT, amid reports that opposition parties were planning another meeting on Tuesday or Wednesday to discuss the political deadlock.
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