Swedish parliament to vote on Magdalena Andersson’s Prime Ministership
Sweden’s parliament will meet today to vote on the election of Magdalena Andersson as Prime Minister.
Andersson made headlines when she was elected as Sweden’s first woman Prime Minister on Wednesday. She resigned the same day when her coalition government collapsed following parliament’s rejection of the budget jointly proposed by Andersson’s Social Democratic party and the Green party. Instead, the parliament voted to adopt the budget proposed by the far-right Sweden Democrats party.
Rising populism has caused political turmoil in recent years as disparate minority coalitions attempt to present a united front against the trend, but party differences have divided the parliament and led to perpetual deadlock.
The Left, Green and Centre parties have all agreed to support Andersson on a one-party platform to ensure the Sweden Democrats do not gain additional power. However, the fragmentation that has grown over the past ten years is expected to continue through the national elections in September. While Andersson will have more control as the leader of a single-party government, major policy changes demanded by the populace on issues such as welfare and immigration will be difficult to pass. The far-right has capitalized on such political inefficiency, and it is likely their popularity will continue to grow under Andersson’s tenure.
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