Deadline for Swedish PM to form a new government
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has until today to form a new government.
Lovfen resigned from his position as Prime Minister following a vote of no confidence on June 21, initiated by the right-wing Swedish Democrats Party. Parliamentary Speaker Andreas Norlen declared that Lofven must answer by today whether he was able to rally sufficient support in Sweden’s unicameral 349-seat Riksdag legislature to form a cabinet.
Expect Lovfen to retain the position of caretaker prime minister until a new government can be established. At present Lofven heads a minority government of 100 of 349 parliamentary seats. In the event that he fails to rally enough parliamentary backing, a snap election must be called, more than a year ahead of the next scheduled election.
Given that Lovfen has support of the Left and Centre Parties it is likely he will gather the 175 votes needed to regain the Prime Ministership. Even so, a government will only be viable if they can agree on a budget. Presently, the economy has remained largely untouched by the crisis. If the Moderates take power expect a vehemently pursued strict immigration policy, while the Centre Party would push for tax cuts for low to middle income earners.
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