Sweden to vote on second prime minister nominee

Sweden’s parliament is due to vote on Tuesday on whether Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist should become prime minister, SVT reports. She has proposed a coalition government comprising the Centre Party, Social Democrats, Christian Democrats, Green Party and Liberals.

Thand Ringqvist is the second party leader to receive an exploratory assignment from parliamentary speaker Andreas Norlén. The assignment allows a party leader to assess whether they can secure support to form a government. It is a practice used by the speaker but is not set out in the constitution.

If parliament rejects four prime minister candidates, a snap election must be held. The rule is included in Sweden’s 1974 constitution.

The speaker decided on October 27 to put Thand Ringqvist’s proposed government to a vote. The Social Democrats and Greens called the decision “remarkable” and said the assignment should have gone directly to Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson. Norlén has said Kristersson would receive the assignment if the process enters another round.

The election was held on September 13, with the opposition winning after a close result. Magdalena Andersson, leader of the Social Democrats, received the first exploratory assignment on September 18. She returned it after Norlén was re-elected speaker on September 28 with support from the Moderates, Christian Democrats, Liberals, Sweden Democrats and Left Party. Andersson resumed the assignment on October 2, but parliament rejected her as prime minister on October 15. Norlén gave the next assignment to Thand Ringqvist on October 19.