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Fri, Mar

Swedish PM Stefan Lofven Steps Down After Losing A No-Confidence Vote

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Kjell Stefan Löfven, Swedish prime minister has stepped down from his post a week after losing a no-confidence vote after the Left Party withdrew their support for the government, and he has therefore announced that he would request the current Speaker of the Riksdag, Andreas Norlén, to dismiss the current government and initiate a new one, although, he remains as caretaker Prime Minister.

The 63-year-old decision to step down comes just a week after he became the first Swedish leader ever to lose a no-confidence vote among lawmakers. The vote was called after a left-wing party withdrew its support for Lofven's minority government due to a clash over proposed reforms to Sweden's rental market.

“I have requested the speaker to relieve me as prime minister,” Löfven said on Monday. “It is the most difficult political decision I have ever taken.”

Lofven could have either called a snap election or resigned. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Lofven told a news conference a snap election was "not what is best for Sweden" and also added that any new administration will be a short one, as regular polls must be held in September 2022.

The parliamentary speaker, Andreas Norlén, will now begin a “talmansrunda”, or speaker’s round. He has up to four attempts to find a new head of government that parliament will not reject, with a snap election inevitable if he fails.

"The speaker will now begin work on proposing a prime minister who can be tolerated by the Riksdag [assembly]. The government will continue to govern the country for now, but as the caretaking government.''

The Social Democrat leader, a former union boss, welder and boxing leader, led Sweden in 2014 to power, moved it to the right following inconclusive 2018 elections and then stuck to power by bringing its party closer to the centre after the 2018 elections.

He had seven days after the vote – which was called by the far-right Sweden Democrats and also backed by the conservative Moderate Party and Christian Democrats, winning the support of 181 MPs in the 349-seat Riksdag – to try to secure a parliamentary majority and potentially reform his government.

With the two main left and rightwing blocs still deadlocked in parliament, it is unclear how the speaker will fare in his quest. It took Löfven more than four months to form a government in 2018, which the prime minister finally presented in January 2019.

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