Left Party backs Andreas Norlén for parliament speaker

Sweden’s Left Party will vote for Andreas Norlén as speaker when parliament elects its new speaker on Monday, giving him support from a parliamentary majority, SVT reports.

Deputy party leader Ida Gabrielsson said the decision was based on Norlén’s experience and ability to remain calm and objective, rather than support for a speaker from the Moderate Party.

“It may take a long time for Sweden to get a government, and we believe stability in parliament is needed,” Gabrielsson said on SVT’s Agenda. She added that Norlén could offer an outside perspective in the standoff between the parties.

The Social Democrats have said they want a speaker from their own party, but the centre-left parties had not presented a joint candidate by late Sunday. Gabrielsson said backing Norlén would not change the Left Party’s willingness to form a government with the Social Democrats. She said the party would only support Magdalena Andersson as prime minister.

No government negotiations have begun in the week since Andersson was asked to try to form a government, Gabrielsson said. She said the four parties had not yet managed to meet, and argued that progress depended on addressing the dispute over the Left Party’s influence in a government. The Centre Party has said no to the Left Party’s parliamentary seats being counted, she said.

SVT said it had contacted Andersson, who did not want to comment at this time.