Sweden’s opposition leader Magdalena Andersson has officially begun talks to form a coalition government after the left-wing bloc won a slim majority in last week’s election. Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen on Friday asked Andersson, leader of the centre-left Social Democrats, to begin efforts to form a new government. The request follows the resignation of centre-right Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who stepped down on Thursday after the general election result was confirmed.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Andersson said: “I have now been tasked with exploring the possibility of forming a government. A task I undertake with great humility and will act constructively to put together a new government. My approach to the work that is now taking place is that all political forces now need to put party tactics aside and put Sweden and the Swedish people first.”

Andersson will likely face a series of challenges as she tries to persuade Sweden’s other left-wing parties to unite and form a new administration. The left-wing bloc won 176 of Parliament’s 349 seats in last week’s vote, securing a razor-thin majority of three seats. Andersson is expected to seek the support of three other left-wing parties: the Greens, the Centre Party and the Left Party. The socialist Left Party says Andersson will have to award some of its MPs cabinet posts to win their support. However, the liberal Centre Party insists it will not support such a government.

Andersson has until September 28 to form a government. If she fails, Kristersson, whose centre-right bloc won 173 seats, will try to form a coalition. Coalition and minority governments are common in Sweden because the country has two major left- and right-wing blocs, both of which contain four parties. The process of forming a government following the 2022 election took more than a month.

Source: www.aljazeera.com