Sweden is still stuck without a government. Neither centre-left nor the centre-right bloc won a majority in a September 9 election and both blocs have refused to make a deal with the far-right Sweden Democrats.
So now Sweden’s outgoing Social Democrats Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has been given a mandate to form a government a day after a rival centre-right leader failed in his first attempt.
“This will require humility and compromise by all parties,” said Lofven, who has two weeks to succeed.
Under Sweden’s political system, the speaker of the house has four chances to task a candidate to form a government that lawmakers will accept. Sweden faces new elections if the speaker fails.
As reported by the Agence France-Presse (AFP), Conservative Moderates party leader Ulf Kristersson, who heads the centre-right Alliance of four parties, failed to form a government after two of his Alliance partners (the leader of the Liberals and the Centre party) refused to cooperate with the Sweden Democrats, who demand influence over policy in exchange for support.
