Sweden Elections: Deadlock in Government Formation and Rise of the Far Right

Sweden faced a political deadlock on Monday, September 10, as the far-right party gained more votes in the parliamentary elections, leaving the future of government formation uncertain. Typically, the leader of the party with the most votes forms the new government, but the results from Sunday have severely fragmented the political landscape, and the process may take weeks. As expected, neither the center-left bloc led by current Prime Minister Stefan Löfven nor the center-right bloc secured a majority. The far-right party, the Sweden Democrats, which has roots in the neo-Nazi movement, has gained more votes compared to the previous elections and is now in third place. Far-right parties have strengthened in recent years in elections across Europe, with leaders from Austria, Italy, and France congratulating the Sweden Democrats on their gains. Swedish media predict that given the intense competition between the two blocs, forming an effective government will be challenging. On Monday, Löfven met with party leaders to strategize. A leader of one of the parliamentary factions stated that forming a government could take weeks or even months. According to the latest results, the Social Democrats received 28.4% of the votes, which is 2.8% less than in the 2014 elections and their worst electoral result in a century. Thus, they will have only one seat more than the center-right bloc in parliament. Löfven called on opposition parties to cooperate to break the deadlock. However, he stated at a party rally that 'with the vote of the Swedish people, the Social Democrats are the largest party in the country.' The center-right coalition, consisting of four parties, rejected the Prime Minister's proposal and stated that the government should resign to pave the way for a new government by the center-right parties. Ulf Kristersson, the leader of this coalition, said on Monday that 'this government had its chance and must now resign.' The center-right coalition also met on Monday to determine its policies. The current Prime Minister will face numerous challenges in forming a stable government. Like all other parties in Sweden, he has rejected any cooperation with the far-right party. Löfven might attempt to form a coalition government similar to the minority coalition of 2014, which included the Green Party and had informal support from the Left Party. Such a government may lack authority and be continuously attacked by the far-right, which would seize any opportunity to remove it. Another possibility is that the Social Democratic leader invites some center-right parties to join negotiations for government formation. However, the center-right coalition, which held power from 2006 to 2014, wants to form a government again as a unified coalition. This will not be easy for them either, and they may have to rely on the support of the far-right party. The far-right Sweden Democrats received about 17.6% of the votes in this year's elections, approximately five percent more than in the previous elections. This party advocates for a ban on immigration and Sweden's exit from the European Union.