BLOG: Stefan Löfven set to be Swedish PM again after Left Party gives go-ahead

RECOMMENDED READING:

• Timeline: Everything that's happened in Swedish politics since the election
• What does Sweden's government deal mean for internationals in Sweden?
• How did the political situation get to where it is today?
• 'Sweden's election is being misreported abroad, and this is a big problem'
• Election Q&A: A close look at the Swedish parties' election pledges

14:15 Third time's the charm for Löfven?

And there we go. Speaker of parliament Andreas Norlén has now formally nominated Stefan Löfven as prime minister and we expect him to be approved by parliament in a vote on Friday.

It's been more than four months in untested waters for Sweden, but it looks like we're approaching the end. Thanks for following our political coverage and live blog – we'll keep reporting on the issues that matter to internationals in Sweden as Löfven's government takes office. If you have any stories you think we should cover, or any questions about the political process, please feel free to email [email protected].

In other news today, my colleagues live blogged the latest Brexit developments, so catch up with the latest HERE.

13:31 What's the deal with the deal?

One of the crunch issues this week was whether or not the Left Party would accept the Social Democrats' move to the right to enter into a collaboration of sorts with the Centre and Liberals (and Greens). Löfven, a former trade union boss who is described as a master negotiator by supporters and opponents alike (although they might use slightly different words to refer to this), got their acceptance at the eleventh hour.

Löfven was quizzed at the press conference about whether or not there exists a written document outlining which issues he and the Left Party will work together on, after Left leader Jonas Sjöstedt hinted as much. He clearly did not want to say and instead kept referring back to the 16-page deal with the centre-liberals.

You can expect pretty much all journalists in Sweden to start putting in freedom of information requests for what they have already started referring to as a "secret deal" between the Social Democrats and the Left.

13:20 PM vote on Friday

Parliament will now vote on Löfven on Friday, and assuming that they tolerate him as prime minister he is set to present his government on Monday, probably addressing the chamber at 11am, said the speaker.

13:05 'Never thought it would be this difficult'

"This has been an autumn like no other in Swedish politics," says speaker Andreas Norlén at a press conference attended by The Local. He says he realized immediately after the September 9th election left the country divided that forming a government would be a difficult challenge, "but I never thought it would be this difficult and take this long".

He'll formally nominate Stefan Löfven as prime minister at 2pm today.

12:58 Press conference coming soon

We're now waiting for speaker of parliament Andreas Norlén to hold his scheduled press conference at 1pm. Prime minister candidate Stefan Löfven is also expected to be there.

12:10 Green policies in the four-party deal

The leaders of the Green Party, who will stay in government with the Social Democrats, have now reiterated their support for Stefan Löfven as prime minister. They are the smallest party in parliament and had a rather terrible election, so most of the reporters in the room have lost interest by now. They have probably already left for their lunch break before the speaker of parliament's press conference at 1pm. Left-wing or right-wing or no government at all, the Swedes will never surrender their one-hour-long lunch break.

Here's our explainer about the four-party deal, by the way (for Members).

11:53 'The most stable solution'

Jan Björklund of the Liberal Party has now spoken about his party's role in the deal with the Social Democrats, Greens and Centre. He did not want to describe them as a support party of the Social Democrats, but as a party collaborating with them on some issues and opposing them on others.

"It's by far the most stable solution," he said.

11:20 'Unholy alliance'

We have just heard from Ulf Kristersson of the Moderate Party, who is understandably not happy about today's developments. The conservative leader was Löfven's main rival for the prime minister role.

"The Centre and Liberals seem to become supporting parties. The clause that the Left Party should not be given influence has been destroyed. Stefan Löfven has guaranteed that Sjöstedt will get influence. It is an unbelievable message. The Centre and Liberals have been lured into a deal. This is an absurd government formation," Kristersson told reporters at a press conference attended by The Local.

Kristersson also pointed out that Löfven will now become prime minister after having been rejected by parliament twice (in a vote of no confidence just after the election and in a prime minister vote before Christmas). Of course, Kristersson has also lost a prime minister vote, so hi pot, meet kettle.

The Christian Democrats' Ebba Busch Thor was also not particularly pleased to have lost her former centre-right allies, the Centre and Liberals, to the Social Democrats. It's an "unholy alliance", she said.

11:02 What happens next?

So what does all of this mean? Well, as Stefan Löfven himself said earlier: "It ain't over 'til it's over."

The Social Democrat leader will first need to be formally nominated by the speaker of parliament and then accepted by parliament, which we can most probably assume is simply a matter of formality at this stage.

Speaker Norlén is set to nominate Löfven at 2pm this afternoon, after a press conference at 1pm. Parliament will then vote on Friday, and because we now know that not enough MPs will vote against Löfven (unless we get an unexpected rebellion in several parties), he will then become prime minister.

In all likelihood Löfven will then give his government policy statement (regeringsförklaring) in parliament on Monday. This usually happens shortly after the election, but better late than never et cetera et cetera.

To catch up with everything that has happened since the election, here's our handy timeline.

10:55 'We are the left-wing opposition'

Left Party leader Jonas Sjöstedt just said that after speaking with Stefan Löfven yesterday, they had agreed on a number of areas where his party may have political influence in the next four years. They also disagreed on some points, and the deal Löfven struck with the Greens, Centre and Liberals will remain intact.

He added that although his party does not support the deal, they do want Löfven as prime minister. The Left Party and the Social Democrats have a history of working together in parliament. Sjöstedt argued that if his MPs were to vote no to Löfven on Friday, they would end up with a conservative government.

He did say though that if Löfven allows the centre-right to push through further reforms on for example deregulating the housing market or workers' rights, he won't hesitate to put forward a vote of no confidence.

The Local's Europe Editor Catherine Edwards is live tweeting from parliament:

10:31 Left Party abstains

Left Party leader Jonas Sjöstedt has just said it will abstain in a vote on Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven as prime minister on Friday. This means Löfven has enough votes to lead the next government.

We'll have more for your shortly.

10:15 Centre Party to abstain in PM vote

Annie Lööf of the Centre Party repeats what she said last week, that her party will abstain in a vote on Stefan Löfven, thereby allowing him to become prime minister (whether he gets enough votes still depends on the Left Party, though, so it's not over yet), after a four-party centre-left-liberal deal was struck.

FOR MEMBERS: What would Sweden's proposed government deal mean for internationals?

Annie Lööf speaking to reporters in parliament on Wednesday. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

9:56 Who are the kingmakers in Swedish politics?

The Local's Europe Editor Catherine Edwards has an unusual take on the Swedish government situation:

Joking aside, it is interesting how the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats were widely pegged as the kingmakers of this election in the run-up to Sweden's September 9th vote. Instead, the parties that actually seem to have had the most influence when it comes to "picking" the next prime minister have been the far more internationally-minded Centre Party, the Liberal Party – and now the Left Party.

Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson just told reporters that he thinks Stefan Löfven will become prime minister, not that he necessarily sees that as a good thing. He did say though that he would relish the opportunity to be in opposition next to the right-wing Moderates and the Christian Democrats and rejected the view of his party as a fringe party. "Everyone else is strange, we're normal," he said.

READ ALSO: Just how far-right are the Sweden Democrats?

Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

9:25 And then there's Brexit

I've been told that it's apparently quite an important day in the UK as well, ahem. The Local's Brexit correspondent Alex Macbeth is live blogging all the latest over on thelocal.com. Follow that live blog HERE.

LIVE: Reactions across Europe to May's crushing defeat

Demonstrators outside the House of Commons in London on Tuesday. Photo: AP Photo/Frank Augstein

9:15 Löfven 'ready' to stand for office

"I am ready to let myself be nominated as prime minister and thus hold a vote on Friday," said Stefan Löfven after his meeting with parliamentary speaker Andreas Norlén on Wednesday morning.

He would however not comment on if he expects to win such a vote in parliament, which would depend on whether or not the Left Party has decided to throw its support (or reluctant acceptance) behind him.

"That's for Jonas Sjöstedt to say," he told reporters.

Sjöstedt, the Left Party leader, is expected to reveal his party's decision after his own meeting with the speaker in an hour.

FOR MEMBERS: What would Sweden's proposed government deal mean for internationals in Sweden?

Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

Sweden will find out on Wednesday whether Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven will be proposed as prime minister in a parliamentary vote on Friday.

The question of whether he would succeed in the vote depends on the Left Party.

A proposed agreement which would see a Social Democrat-Green Party government with backing from former opposition rivals the Centre and Liberal parties requires the support of the Left's 28 MPs in order to pass, but explicitly excludes that party from political influence.

On Wednesday morning, the leaders of Sweden's political parties will meet with parliamentary speaker Andreas Norlén, beginning with Löfven at 8.30am.

Norlén will then speak to press at 1pm before formally proposing a prime ministerial candidate to parliament one hour later. This process has been delayed by two days to allow for more time for cross-party talks after Left Party leader Jonas Sjöstedt said on Monday that his party would not support the proposed deal "if the situation remains unchanged".

Since then, the Left Party has held a board meeting on Tuesday evening and was holding a second meeting on Wednesday morning.

Löfven and Sjöstedt have held talks but neither have commented openly on what the discussions have involved. Nor has Sjöstedt revealed exactly what changes or reassurances he would need in order for his party to allow Löfven to govern.

The number of votes on prime ministerial candidates that can be held before a second election is forced is capped at four. The vote planned for Friday would be the third such vote, after both Löfven and Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson have earlier been rejected by parliament.