What is happening with efforts to form a government?
On Monday, Magdalena Andersson will report to Speaker Andreas Norlén on how things are going.
She can either ask for more time or submit a final report on her exploratory mission if she has managed to put together a complete government alternative. However, there is little to indicate that at the moment. The situation on the red-green side still looks deadlocked, and Friday's meeting on Lidingö did nothing to resolve the differences between C and V.
The Social Democrat leader has not said whether she will ask for more time, but has said she will think it over during the weekend.
The Speaker may grant more time if he believes that discussions or negotiations are under way and need to continue.
He has also made preparations for a possible vote on the Social Democrat leader as prime minister this week. The earliest it could take place is Wednesday, October 14.
Four attempts
Why hold a vote on a prime minister before there is a ready-made government alternative?
It is not certain that this will happen, but it could if the Speaker deems it necessary to speed up the negotiations. In that case, he can propose a new prime minister even if the candidate is likely to be voted down.
The Speaker has four attempts to get a prime minister approved. If the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) rejects all four candidates, a snap election follows - a scenario almost no party wants.
Forcing a vote on a prime minister is usually described as one of the Speaker's sharpest weapons. It was also used during the protracted government formation process in 2018. At the time, both the then Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven and Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson faced separate votes and were defeated. Löfven was not elected prime minister until the third vote.
This time, Andreas Norlén has made clear that he wants a faster process than the 134 days it took in 2018.
“Jumping majorities”
What does it take to be elected prime minister?
A prime minister is elected as long as fewer than a majority in the Riksdag - that is, 175 or more members - vote against the candidate.
In theory, it could be enough for, for example, only the Social Democrats to vote for Magdalena Andersson if the other red-green parties abstain (vote yellow). The Tidö parties' 173 seats are not enough to reject Andersson, even if they all vote against her.
On the other hand, electing a prime minister without a ready-made government alternative can be problematic. It can be difficult to get both the budget and policy through. In 2018, Stefan Löfven was forced to govern for his entire first year with a budget put forward by the Moderates and the Christian Democrats.
One alternative is to govern with “jumping majorities” and reach agreements with different parties on different issues. Magdalena Andersson has not ruled out this solution.
