London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 24, 2025

New Swedish prime minister resigns hours after being voted in

New Swedish prime minister resigns hours after being voted in

Sweden's first female prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, has resigned from office only hours after being voted in, Sweden's official Twitter account announced Wednesday.

The dramatic move came before Andersson was fully in office as she had not yet had counsel with the King, a spokesperson told CNN.

Her resignation follows a budget defeat in parliament Wednesday, Sweden's Twitter account added, with lawmakers supporting the opposition's bill.

The Green Party has also decided to leave the minority coalition government with Andersson's Social Democrats, it said. "The current government will remain as an interim government until a new government is in place," it added.

Andersson, 54, said she had told the speaker of Parliament she hoped to be reappointed as prime minister at the head of a "single-party, Social Democrat government," Reuters reported.

She replaced Stefan Löfven, who recently stepped down as both the country's premier and as leader of the Social Democrats party.

All the other Nordic countries -- Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland -- have previously elected female national leaders.

As prime minister, Andersson was preceded by 33 men. She previously worked as Deputy Director General of the Swedish Tax Agency, according to her CV on the Swedish government website.

She holds a master's degree in Economics from the Stockholm School of Economics and has served as Sweden's finance minister since 2014.

She is also the second woman to head up the center-left Social Democrats party, according to Sweden's Twitter account.

Already facing major hurdles


Andersson won parliamentary approval after reaching a last-minute deal with the former communist Left Party, but her grip on power was tenuous because of the Nordic country's fragmented political landscape.

Her predecessor Löfven governed by performing a complex juggling act to secure support from both the Left and Center parties in parliament, even though they are not part of the coalition government.

Andersson was finance minister prior to her appointment as prime minister.


But the Center Party was worried by the deal with the Left Party and had said it would not back Andersson's government in a vote on a finance bill proposed by three opposition parties.

"We cannot support a budget from a government which is moving far to the left, which we think the incoming government is doing," Center Party leader Annie Loof told reporters.

Löfven, who stepped down earlier this month to give Andersson a chance to boost support for the party before a general election in September next year, said he would not continue if he lost the budget vote.

Whoever leads Sweden will face significant challenges. Gang violence and shootings blight life in many suburbs of the capital, Stockholm, and other major cities.

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed gaps in the much-vaunted welfare state, with the death rate in Sweden much higher than in neighboring Nordic countries.

The government also needs to speed up the shift to a "green" economy if it is to meet its climate change goals.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
×