Speaker of the Riksdag Andreas Norlén will begin on Friday the work of exploring the conditions for forming a new government. During the day, he will meet with representatives from all parliamentary parties except the Moderates, after Ulf Kristersson requested his resignation as Prime Minister.
The meetings take place individually in the Speaker’s office and follow the size of the parties in the parliament elected in 2022. According to the Riksdag’s schedule, Friday looks as follows:
- 10:00 – Social Democrats
- 10:35 – Sweden Democrats
- 11:10 – Left Party
- 11:45 – Centre Party
- 12:50 – Christian Democrats
- 13:25 – Green Party
- 14:00 – Liberals
The Moderates will not meet Norlén on Friday, since the Speaker already had a conversation with Ulf Kristersson when the Prime Minister requested his resignation. After the meetings with the party leaders, Norlén will deliberate with the Deputy Speakers. A press briefing is preliminarily planned for no earlier than 3:30 PM.
The talks mark the first concrete phase of the government formation process following the election. Kristersson has resigned and the previous government now continues as a caretaker government. Norlén’s task is to investigate which government alternative can be tolerated by the parliament and subsequently propose a Prime Minister to the Riksdag.
New Reports on Åkesson’s Future
At the same time, attention is being drawn to the Sweden Democrats. The party lost ground in this year’s parliamentary election, thereby losing its previous position as the second largest party. This is the first time SD has declined in a Swedish parliamentary election.
Now, reports indicate that Jimmie Åkesson may take a break from his role as party leader if SD ends up in opposition. According to these reports, it is not a matter of Åkesson resigning as party leader, but that he may withdraw for a period and not personally lead the party’s work from the parliament or represent the party in public.
According to TV4’s information, there are currently no direct demands within the party for Åkesson’s resignation. A highly placed source states that Åkesson is not expected to formally leave his post as party leader, but that other people may need to front the party should he be absent.
The question of who will lead SD’s parliamentary group could therefore grow in importance. The party is to appoint a new group leader within a few weeks, and according to TV4’s information, both Henrik Vinge and Linda Lindberg are being discussed. According to sources TV4 has spoken to, the choice of group leader could also matter for who will take a more prominent role should Åkesson take a break.
The reports come as the SD leadership faces an internal discussion about why the party lost votes in the election. Åkesson himself is expected to comment on the election result on Friday.
C Wants Guarantees on V
The Centre Party meanwhile continues to keep the door closed to government negotiations with the Social Democrats as long as the Left Party insists on being part of a future government. According to reports to Swedish Radio, the party wants the Social Democrats to first clarify that the Left Party will not be included in the government.
Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist has previously made it clear that the party would rather call for a new election than enable a government in which the Left Party participates.
This creates a difficult starting position for Magdalena Andersson. The Social Democrats, the Left Party, the Green Party, and the Centre Party together have 176 seats, compared with 173 for the Moderates, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats, and Liberals, but C and V have entirely different views on the government issue. The Left Party, in turn, has stated that it does not intend to support a government in which it is not included.
Ygeman New Speaker?
Meanwhile, another power struggle is underway in the background. The Social Democrats want to take over the Speaker’s chair if the party succeeds in forming a government after the election. This would mean Andreas Norlén leaves the post after eight years. There are discussions among the Social Democrats about Anders Ygeman as a possible successor, though other names have also been mentioned.
The issue of the Speaker is not yet decided. The newly elected parliament will formally choose the Speaker on September 28, and the matter could therefore become part of the political negotiations between the parties. Norlén continues his work in the meantime.
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