Vänsterpartiet’s move leaves Swedish government talks deadlocked

Sweden’s government formation remains deadlocked as parliament prepares to open, with the Left Party’s backing of the speaker’s re-election adding to tensions among opposition parties, SVT reports.

The Left Party said on Sunday that it would support the Tidö parties’ speaker candidate, Andreas Norlén. On Monday, Norlén was re-elected to lead parliament for another four years.

Social Democrats were irritated, arguing that the largest party in parliament should hold the speaker’s post. Their leader, Magdalena Andersson, said she currently saw no way to form a new government.

SVT political reporter Julia Lindvall said Social Democrats she had spoken to felt the Left Party had “declared war” within the red-green bloc. The Left Party maintains that Andersson must bring all four opposition parties together for joint government negotiations, but the Centre Party continues to refuse.

The Green Party has also expressed frustration, saying the Left Party’s move damages trust between the parties that could work together, Lindvall said. SVT’s domestic politics commentator Elisabeth Marmorstein said senior Left Party figures had been concerned that a Social Democratic speaker might act in the party’s interests during the government formation process.

Norlén said on Monday that the current situation has similarities to 2018, when it took 134 days to form a government. That process ended with the January Agreement, which lasted just under two and a half years.

The speaker can increase pressure on party leaders by holding votes on the prime minister in parliament, potentially bringing Sweden closer to an early election. But, Lindvall said, nothing in the parties’ actions or preliminary talks suggests that the deadlock will be resolved easily.