Swedish parliament to vote on Centre leader Thand Ringqvist as PM on 3 November

Speaker moves ahead with a vote expected to fail

Andreas Norlen, speaker of the Swedish parliament, said on Thursday, 29 October, that MPs will vote on Tuesday, 3 November, on nominating Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist, leader of the Centre Party, as prime minister. Norlen acknowledged that the attempt has little chance of success. He said he would still push the parliamentary process forward, even though Thand Ringqvist had said earlier that week that she had not managed to unite the left and right blocs. The vote marks the end of the exploratory mandate Norlen had entrusted to her. Rejection is widely expected.

The deadlock behind the vote

At the 13 September election, the opposition left bloc won a three-seat majority over the right-wing bloc led by Ulf Kristersson, and the left camp took 176 of the 349 seats in parliament. Magdalena Andersson, leader of the Social Democrats, has twice given up on forming a left-wing government. She also lost a first vote on 15 October, when MPs did not back her as a minority cabinet head. Kristersson currently leads a caretaker government. Neither the left nor the right bloc has a majority, which is why Norlen asked for an exploration of an 'intermediate solution'.

Thand Ringqvist's centrist proposal

After the election, Thand Ringqvist floated a 'centre' government that would include moderate forces but exclude the Left Party and the Sweden Democrats. Her party has ruled out any cooperation with the Sweden Democrats, which makes a right-bloc majority in parliament nearly impossible. The Centre Party also refuses to back a government that includes the Left Party. On Monday, 26 October, Thand Ringqvist gave up on forming a centrist coalition. Reports on the proposal say it is generally expected to be voted down on 3 November.

What happens if the vote fails

If Thand Ringqvist does not win on 3 November, Norlen will turn to Kristersson to find out whether he can form a government. The speaker can put forward up to four candidates before new elections become mandatory, and the first of those attempts failed on 15 October. The speaker can also task candidates with checking the conditions for a government without submitting their nomination to a parliamentary vote. Kristersson's party is the second largest after the Social Democrats, and there are so far few signs that he could secure a majority. The mandate could then return to Andersson at a later stage. Polls published in recent days suggest that support for the Moderates has risen since the election.

Long talks and a rare snap election

Sweden is getting used to lengthy government formation. After the 2022 election, forming a government took 37 days, and in 2018 it took 134 days. The last early election in Sweden was held in 1958. Should all four candidate attempts fail, a new election would have to be called.