Sweden faces political deadlock after Andersson gives up attempt to form government

Sweden Faces Political Deadlock as Andersson Ends Government Formation Efforts

Stalemate in Swedish Government Formation Following Election

STOCKHOLM, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Attempts to form a new government in Sweden hit the buffers on Monday after Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson said she was unable to secure enough support, despite the centre-left bloc winning a narrow majority in this month's election.

Andersson's Announcement and Loss of Support

"I can conclude that there is currently no possibility for me to form a government," Andersson said at a press conference, saying she had lost the support of Sweden's Left Party.

Next Steps in the Government Formation Process

The speaker of Sweden's parliament, Andreas Norlen, told reporters he will meet each party leader one-on-one on Wednesday before announcing who will have the next go at exploring the formation of a government.

Potential Candidates for Prime Minister

One likely option would be Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, whose Moderates are the next biggest party after the Social Democrats.

Election Results and Parliamentary Balance

The general election on September 13 saw the centre-left opposition taking 176 seats in parliament, just beating the centre-right's 173.

Impact of Sweden Democrats' Decline

The result was driven by a decline in support for the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, bucking a Europe-wide trend of gains for the far right.

Challenges in Forming a Stable Government

Despite the centre-left's victory, the vote, widely seen as a referendum on Kristersson's promise to bring the far-right Sweden Democrats into a ruling coalition, has left forming a stable government fraught with difficulties.

Andersson said she had given up trying to form a government after the Left Party, one of the parties she needed to form a majority, said it would support a candidate from the centre-right as speaker of parliament.

The Left Party has said previously it will only support Andersson as prime minister.

Possible Scenarios Moving Forward

Andersson would likely get another shot at trying to form a government if any centre-right attempt fails. 

The speaker can put four candidates forward to parliament for approval, but if each is rejected, Sweden will hold a new election. 

Concerns Over Election Integrity

Casting a further cloud over the process, police said on Friday they had started preliminary investigations into five complaints of election fraud around Stockholm.  

The probes come days after prosecutors opened a separate investigation into suspected fraud in the central Swedish town of Borlange, a case that could put 11 parliamentary seats in play if the Election Review Board orders a re-run of the vote there. 

Historical Context

In 2018, Social Democrat Stefan Lofven took 134 days to form a new government.

(Reporting by Simon Johnson, writing by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Louise Rasmussen and Xevi Fontdegloria)