[Politics] How Magdalena Andersson Became Prime Minister of Sweden… Twice in One Week

[S e u o n g]

 

Magdalena Andersson's rise to power has been nothing short of a political soap opera, and the season finale may still be yet to come.

In just one week, the Swedish Parliament elected her as the country's first woman to become prime minister, saw her resign seven hours later amid political turmoil, and instructed her to return to office after a second vote.

Why it all unfolded and what could happen next has highlighted the complexities posed by an eight-party coalition in a divided nation.

 

Why did Sweden need a new head of government?
It all started with the retirement of Stefan Lofven, who had led a social democratic-green coalition government since 2014. The first vote to choose his successor or successor was last Wednesday.

 

Magdalena Andersson had already replaced him as leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party at her conference in early November.

 

But to replace him at the head of the government he needed the approval of Parliament.

With the green light from it, she became the first female Prime Minister of Sweden, a historic event that happened exactly 100 years after women won the right to vote in the country.

 

What happened in that first vote?
Under Sweden's political system, Andersson did not need the favorable vote of the majority of MPs, but rather to prevent the majority from voting against.

However, in such a fragmented Parliament, he saw that it would be a difficult decision.

The governing coalition led by the Social Democrats is weak and depends on the support of other formations.

 

 

The vote took place after 11 hours of negotiation with the Left Party and previous talks with the Center Party, a center-right party. Both agreed to abstain and Sweden thus became the last Nordic country to elect a woman as prime minister.

But that did not commit Parliament to supporting her in a crucial budget vote later that afternoon. Instead, the Center Party helped pass an alternative proposal from three right-wing parties, including Sweden's Democrats, a formation with a strong anti-immigrant discourse.

Faced with this, the Green Party resigned from the coalition government, arguing that it did not want to participate in a budget negotiated by the nationalists.

At the same time, Andersson asked to resign from her as prime minister, claiming that she did not want to lead a government "whose legitimacy will be questioned."

 

 

LINK: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-59505122