The Riksdag has voted down Magdalena Andersson (S) as prime minister. 248 members voted no and 99 yes when a purely Social Democratic government was put to the test in the chamber on Thursday. The yes votes came exclusively from the Social Democrats, while both the Tidö parties and Andersson’s own cooperation parties—the Left Party, the Green Party, and the Centre Party—voted against.

No member abstained, and two were absent—one from the Left Party and one from the Green Party—according to the Riksdag’s voting data.

The Moderates, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats, and Liberals all voted no, as did the Centre Party with all 25 of its members.

The Left Party’s group leader Samuel Gonzalez said in the chamber that the Left voted no because the party was obliged to, not because it wanted to, and that it was about promises made to voters.

The Green Party’s Annika Hirvonen said that Andersson is still the Green Party’s candidate for prime minister, but that the party will not support a government that does not include the Greens.

The Centre Party could let a purely Social Democratic government take office, but no politically anchored program in the centre is in place, explained party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist before the vote.

The Tidö parties targeted the red-greens’ lack of unity. The Moderates’ group leader Mattias Karlsson pointed out that the four parties wanting Andersson as prime minister have 176 mandates, and it is the lack of unity—not lack of mandates—that stops her.

The Sweden Democrats’ group leader Matheus Enholm argued that Andersson lacks a plan to resolve the parliamentary stalemate.

S: No crisis for democracy

Andersson herself said before the vote that the result was entirely expected and that it has been clear since election night that several prime ministerial votes would be needed.

Social Democrat Lena Hallengren stated in the chamber that it is neither strange nor a crisis for democracy that Andersson is rejected, emphasizing that the discussions over the past weeks have not concerned a single-party government.

Speaker Andreas Norlén will now call the party leaders, and a new party leader will then be assigned the exploratory mandate. Who that will be is not yet clear. According to the constitution, extra elections are held if the Riksdag rejects the Speaker’s proposal four times. This was the first.