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The leader of Sweden’s Social Democrats, Magdalena Andersson, has said she is “ready” to attempt to form a government after her opposition alliance narrowly defeated the right-wing bloc in elections.
“I have informed the speaker that I am ready to try to build a new government,” she told reporters on Friday.
“I want to lead Sweden in a new spirit of cooperation, and … my aim is to seek broad cooperation,” she added.
Andersson, who previously served as prime minister of Sweden from 2021 to 2022, is expected to look to build a government with the three other alliance parties, which together with the Social Democrats now hold a three-seat majority in Sweden’s 349-seat parliament.
If they can find an agreement, it would see Andersson take over as prime minister in the coming weeks, after PM Ulf Kristersson resigned in the wake of the election.
She will likely face tricky negotiations, however, as key differences remain between the four parties – the Social Democrats, the Left Party, the Green Party and the Centre Party. In particular, the Left Party has said it would only give its support if it had ministers in the government, an idea the Centre Party has been staunchly opposed to.
The speaker of parliament is due to meet with party leaders for individual talks on Friday over who should lead the formation of the next government, with an announcement expected in the late afternoon.
In a video address posted to her social media on Thursday, Andersson said: “The Swedish people have voted to move Sweden forward, and I want to realise the new direction you have chosen.”
“I want to see a new era of cooperation among the political parties,” she continued, adding that it was now “up to all political forces to set aside partisan tactics and prioritise the best interest of Sweden and the Swedish people.”
In his letter of resignation on Thursday, Kristersson – whose right-wing alliance had included the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party – also called for “constructive openness” across parties to move forward.
“Discussions will need to be held with all parties to find ways around these deadlocks and create the conditions for a stable and effective government,” he wrote.
Additional sources • AFP