Swedish Social Dems leader to get second try at forming government

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson, who resigned only hours after winning lawmakers’ backing as prime minister earlier this week, will get a second chance to form a government, the speaker of parliament said on Thursday.

Andersson’s resignation as prime minister on Wednesday was prompted by a decision by coalition partner the Greens to leave the government after the budget bill was defeated in parliament.

While elected by parliament, she had not had time to even formally take over the job from outgoing Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Lofven before she chose to step aside.

“My intention is, later this afternoon to nominate Magdalena Andersson to the post of Sweden’s prime minister,” the speaker told a news conference.

With no other obvious candidate, Andersson looks highly likely to win a second confirmation vote in the Riksdag.

The vote is expected to be held on Nov. 29.

The speaker said Wednesday’s events were “incomprehensible” to the Swedish people and that the parties’ actions damaged faith in parliament, the political system and in politicians themselves.

Andersson’s tribulations are the result of a fragmented parliament where neither the centre-left nor centre-right blocs can form a majority government, in large part due to the rise of the anti-immigration nationalists, the Sweden Democrats.

Like her predecessor, Andersson had hoped to govern as head of a minority coalition with the Greens with support from the Left and Centre parties. But the Centre party refused to back the budget, which prompted the Greens to quit the coalition.

Andersson will now try and form a single-party, minority government. Her Social Democrats have 100 seats in the 349-seat parliament. Sweden is due to hold a general election in September next year.

(Reporting by Niklas Pollard and Simon Johnson; editing by Niklas Pollard)