Sweden PM Andersson resigns on the first day, within 12 hours of taking over

Sweden’s Social Democrat leader and newly appointed Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson quit from her post on Wednesday, less than 12 hours after taking over the reins of the country. Her decision came at the backdrop of the collapse of the coalition which had catapulted her to the top position. Andersson said a decision by the Green Party, the junior party in the coalition, to quit had forced her to resign. However, she has urged the speaker of the parliament to appoint her as Prime Minister again as the head of a single-party government.

The Green Party decided to leave the government after the coalition’s budget bill was rejected by parliament.

“I have asked the speaker to be relieved of my duties as Prime Minister,” Andersson told a news conference. “I am ready to be prime minister in a single-party, Social Democrat government”.

Andersson has a strong probability of getting reappointed. The Green Party has pledged to vote for her in any new confirmation vote in parliament, while the Centre Party has pledged to abstain, thereby endorsing her candidacy. While these parties were unable to reach an agreement on a budget, they are unified in their desire to prevent the Sweden Democrats, a populist anti-immigration party, from entering government.

Taking to Twitter, Leader Annie Loof, said “Magdalena Andersson stands by her word to deliver on the agreement we have concluded and the Center Party will release her as Prime Minister. We are now making sure, once again, that Sweden can have a government that is not dependent on Sweden Democrats”.

The Sweden Democrats support the opposition Moderates and Christian Democrats, however, they do not have a majority in parliament.

Andersson took over as Prime Minister from Stefan Lofven, who was the leader of a two-party minority government that included the Left and the Centre. However, when the Centre Party refused to support the new government’s financial plan, the coalition fell apart.

Parliament passed expenditure draft plans on Wednesday drawn up by three opposition parties, prompting the Green Party to quit the coalition leaving Andersson with no other option but to resign.