Andersson hands back government formation assignment after V backs Norlén

Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson is handing back her assignment to explore forming a government, telling SVT that the Left Party’s decision to support Moderate Andreas Norlén as speaker means she cannot currently form a government.

Andersson received the assignment from the speaker of parliament 10 days ago. She announced her decision at a hastily arranged news conference on Monday, citing the Left Party’s weekend announcement.

Andersson said the largest party in a government traditionally holds the speaker’s role. She argued that the “new constellation” in parliament formed by the Left Party and the Moderates after the speaker vote should now try to reach agreement on a government.

“I take the Left Party’s announcement seriously,” Andersson said. Asked whether she had given up on becoming prime minister, she said she saw no basis for it at present, but that it remained to be seen how events would develop in the coming weeks.

Andersson said her decision was not intended to increase pressure on other parties. The Social Democrats had nominated their own speaker candidate, MP Johanna Haraldsson, “as a matter of principle”.

Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar told SVT that Andersson remained her party’s candidate for prime minister. She said the party hoped Andersson would bring the red-green parties together and give Left Party voters a place at the table if they were expected to support a government.

Green Party co-spokespeople Amanda Lind and Daniel Helldén said the Left Party’s decision made the process more difficult. Lind said the Greens would support the Social Democrats’ speaker candidate and were disappointed that the Left Party had chosen a different path.

SVT reported that the assignment was given to Andersson 10 days before she handed it back.