Sweden’s parliament elected Magdalena Andersson, making her the first female prime minister of the nation. Andersson was announced as a leader on Wednesday but resigned after her coalition partner quit the government and her budget failed to pass.
Magdalena Andersson: Sweden’s first female PM
On Wednesday, after parliamentary voting, Magdalena Andersson was elected the first female prime minister of Sweden. Despite being championed for gender equality, the country is yet to see a woman in the PM’s seat. However, other nordic nations have had women leading their governments. The 54-year-old was serving as the nation’s finance minister.
“I have told the speaker that I wish to resign,” Andersson told the media
Her coalition partner, the Greens Party said it could not accept a budget “drafted for the first time with the far-right”.
What happened during the voting?
The voting was tight, with the Social Democrat leader winning barely. As per Sweden’s system, the PM candidate does not need the support of the majority. However, they should not have the majority against them. In the parliament, a total of 174 voted against her and, 117 for her. However, 57 members refrained from voting. Her appointment followed after she managed to clinch a last-minute deal with the Left Party. However, her success in managing to secure support for the promise of raising pensions is commendable. “We have reached an agreement to strengthen the finances of the poorest pensioners,” said Anderson to the media. Additionally, Nooshi Dadgostar, the leader of the Left Part stated that they would not block Andersson, confirming the deal.
More on the hurdle and victory
Annie Loof, the Center Party’s leader said that her party will not vote “yes” to the new budget proposal. With this, the opposition finance bill was passed. Loof also added that the deal between the Left Party and the ruling coalition had “drawn the government further to the left”. However, the three opposing parties have come up with a common budget, with a high approval rate.
“A tumultuous day in the politics of Sweden. After prolonged talks, a deal with the Left party clears the way for SocDem leader Magdalena Andersson as new PM, but only hours later the parliament ditched her budget and approved one of the Centre-right opposition parties,” tweeted Carl Bildt, the former PM. The speaker of parliament will now contact party leaders on the next move.
