Conservative Ulf Kristersson has reached agreement on a government basis in Sweden with several parties, including the right-wing populist Swedish Democrats. His moderates, along with the Christian Democrats and Liberals, will form a government that will work closely with Sweden’s Democrats in parliament, Kristersson announced at a news conference in Stockholm on Friday.
Shortly afterwards, he wanted to inform Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlén about this. Norlén is expected to schedule a parliamentary vote on Kristersson as the new prime minister. This should be done on Monday.
Eight years of social democratic leadership
The conservative-right party bloc centered around Kristersson’s moderates and the extremely strong Swedish Democrats won a narrow majority of 176 out of 349 seats in the September 11 Swedish parliamentary election. After eight years of Social Democratic leadership, a change of government was expected.
However, it was long unclear whether moderates, Christian Democrats and liberals could agree with the Swedish Democrats on a government basis. Without the right-wing populists, who achieved record results in the elections and for the first time replaced the moderates as the second strongest force, the three parties would not be able to achieve their own majority.
Minority governments are not uncommon in Scandinavia – new, however, is that such a constellation in Sweden will count on the support of right-wing populists.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
