Swedish Green Party quits ruling minority coalition over budget defeat

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – The Swedish Green party said on Wednesday it would quit the ruling coalition with the Social Democrats after the centre-left coalition’s budget bill was defeated in parliament only hours after Magdalena Andersson was elected new prime minister.

“We wanted to have power in order to conduct green policies,” Green co-leader Marta Stenevi told a news conference.

“It is … not the Green Party’s job in politics to implement a budget negotiated with the Sweden Democrats.”

The government budget was rejected in favour of a rival bill put forward by three right-wing parties, including the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats.

(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; editing by Niklas Pollard)