PostedSeptember 19, 2022, 4:01 p.m.
SwedenThe leader of the right officially in charge of forming a government
Ulf Kristersson now has the “mission of studying the conditions for forming a government that can be accepted by Parliament”. He warned that “it will take a little time”.
For Ulf Kristersson (left), the main puzzle is the place to be reserved for the Sweden Democrats of Jimmie Aakesson (right).
AFP
The leader of the Swedish Conservative Party of Moderates, Ulf Kristersson, was officially charged on Monday followingnoon with trying to form a government, following the victory of a right-wing and far-right bloc in the legislative elections. The President of the Riksdag, the Swedish Parliament, appointed him as expected to muster a sufficient majority to become Prime Minister and succeed the Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson.
The Swedish right has never been in power with the support of the extreme right, the result of a rapprochement initiated by Ulf Kristersson three years ago. “I have decided to give the leader of the moderates, Ulf Kristersson, the mission of studying the conditions for forming a government that can be accepted by Parliament,” announced Andreas Norlén.
Since Monday morning, the President of the Chamber received the leaders of the parties, a prelude to the designation of a potential Prime Minister. Ulf Kristersson must succeed in having the support of the four parties of the bloc that won the elections, which ranges from the centre-right liberals to the Democrats of Sweden (SD), to the extreme right, passing through the moderates and the Christian democrats.
What place should be given to the far right?
After his tete-a-tete with the Speaker of the House, Ulf Kristersson said that forming a government would take “a little time”. The main puzzle is the place in the majority of Jimmie Aakesson’s SDs. These show their wish to enter the government, but the three other parties are opposed to this hypothesis.
The most likely scenario is a government with moderates and Christian Democrats, possibly liberals, but the SD content to be a supporting force in parliament. In return for giving up ministries, the party might negotiate political advances on issues that matter to it, or even the post of the next speaker of the House.
fragile majority
Negotiations “are going well and everything is being discussed in one package,” said Jimmie Aakesson on Monday. With 73 seats, the SD would be the main party of the future majority, ahead of the moderates (68), the Christian Democrats (19) and the Liberals (16). In total, the emerging majority is fragile, with 176 seats once morest 173 for the left bloc, led by the Social Democrats of Magdalena Andersson (107 seats).
The latter is acting as head of government. The election of the Prime Minister by Parliament cannot take place at the earliest before the return to parliament, on September 27.
(AFP)