Swedish prime minister resigns, speaker tasks Andersson with forming new coalition

Ulf Kristersson formally requested dismissal as prime minister, which also means the whole cabinet resigns, though it stays on as a transition government. Speaker Andreas Norlén, after individual talks with all party leaders, appointed Magdalena Andersson to conduct exploratory talks on forming a government acceptable to the newly elected Riksdag. The combined seats of the Social Democrats, Left Party, Centre Party and Green Party total 176 of 349, a narrow majority, but the Centre Party refuses to sit with the Left Party, and the Left Party insists on being part of any coalition.

Andersson’s exploratory mission has no fixed deadline; the Riksdag will convene for the first time on 28 September to elect a new speaker, who will then set the timetable for presenting a prime-ministerial candidate. Under Sweden’s negative parliamentarism, a candidate is approved unless at least 175 members vote against them, and the speaker has up to four attempts before a snap election must be called.