Swedish parliament ousts PM in vote of no-confidence

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Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven lost a confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday.

Lofven will step down, but there has been no clear indication of who will replace him.

A total of 204 of 349 members of parliament voted against Lofven, while 142 voted in favor of him.

Voters delivered a hung parliament in the September 9 election with Lofven's center-left bloc garnering 144 seats, one more than the center-right opposition Alliance.

The results of a vote against Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven are displayed on a board at the Swedish Parliament Riksdagen, Stockholm, September 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, with 62 seats, also backed the vote to remove Lofven.

The speaker of parliament, Andreas Norlen, will begin talks on Thursday with the leaders of the eight parties represented in parliament to determine who is best placed to form the next government.

Analysts expect the speaker to pick Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderate Party, the biggest Alliance party, to try to form a new government.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven reacts after the results of a vote against him at the Swedish Parliament Riksdagen in Stockholm, September 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

"Sweden needs a new government that has broad political support to undertake reforms," Kristersson, told parliament moments before the vote.

But with the Alliance in a minority, he needs support either from the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, shunned by all sides since the party entered parliament in 2010, or the center-left.

After his ouster, Lofven issued a stark warning to the Alliance about cooperating with the Sweden Democrats.

"If the Alliance chooses to govern as the smaller bloc they will be totally dependent on the Sweden Democrats," he said.

"The Sweden Democrats were founded by neo-Nazi members of the Swedish white supremacy movement. They have repeatedly been found to have ties to racist and neo-Nazi organizations."

"All eyes are now on the Alliance's big election promise to the Swedish people that it would never govern with the support of the Sweden Democrats."

Stefan Lofven's Social Democrats have ruled out backing an Alliance government.

Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Akesson repeated on Tuesday that his party would bring down any government that does not give it a say on immigration, healthcare, pensions, and crime policy.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven speaks to the press after he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Stockholm, Sweden, September 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

"If Ulf Kristersson wants to be prime minister it can only happen with my help," Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Akesson told Swedish television on Tuesday.

The Alliance of the Moderates, Centre, Liberal and Christian Democrats have said it will not negotiate with them.

The speaker has four goes at finding a new government and if the situation remains deadlocked, Sweden will hold another election within three months.

With a new vote unlikely to change the situation much, some kind of compromise is likely to be thrashed out.

A number of party combinations have been suggested, but all would have a heavy political cost and a deal could take weeks.

Lofven will lead a transitional government until a new administration is installed.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters