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Sweden's government collapses as prime minister loses no-confidence vote

The Local Sweden
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Sweden's government collapses as prime minister loses no-confidence vote
STOCKHOLM 20210621 Jämställdhets- och bostadsminister Märta Stenevi (MP), statsminister Stefan Löfven (S9 och finansminister Magdalena Andersson på väg till riksdagens omröstningen av ett förslag om misstroendeförklaring. Foto: Nils Petter Nilsson / TT kod 62260

Sweden's parliament has voted in favour of a no-confidence motion against Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, a historic result that means the country could face snap elections later this year.

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Löfven is the first Swedish Prime Minister to lose a vote of this kind.

The parties that voted against Löfven were the Left Party, Moderates, Christian Democrats and Sweden Democrats. 

The Left Party fall on the opposite side of the political spectrum to the others, and have traditionally supported the Social Democrats but did not agree to recent proposals to change Swedish rental laws.

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"What we are doing today, we do not do lightly. We have done everything we could to resolve the situation. But when no-one else wanted to contribute to a solution, we've ended up here – and that is in line with what we promised," the Left leader Nooshi Dadgostar said in a speech to parliament before the vote, referring to an ultimatum her party gave the government.

Although the Left Party were the first to threaten a no-confidence vote, it was ultimately proposed by the Sweden Democrats who, unlike the Left, had enough MPs to submit the motion.

Although Covid-19 restrictions are in force, all 349 members of parliament were called in for the vote and were asked to wear face masks and limit their time in the chamber.

A total of 181 MPs voted in favour of the no-confidence motion, passing the required majority of 175.

The prime minister has scheduled a preliminary press conference for 11.30am, Swedish time.

There are two possible alternatives of what will happen next. Either Löfven may resign, in which case it falls to the speaker of parliament to start a round of cross-party negotiations to form a new government, or otherwise he may call for snap elections, which would need to take place no later than three months after the announcement.

He has seven days' time to make the decision.

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Anonymous 2021/06/22 16:08
Read my lips : Freedom comes at a price……my mother who was arrested and deported by the nazis for being part of a resistance group…..could have told you……while the majority of french chose to stay put…..and so called alive. Average death age …in France anyway ….81 years old I believe. Life expectancy in France 82 …..for women …..men prefer to drink and smoke themselves to the grave…..their loss….but still 79 years old. Average Covid deaths …..82…..and all of them with co morbidity…..some of them totally senile……didn’t know Eve from Adam. Life is messy and it is not about living versus not dying…..it is about living no matter what…..Covid….no Covid ….à fine balance between not being reckless and not being an anxious wreck. From all I read….I don’t recall the world to make such a fuss in 1918 when they have a cause to……let alone toppling a government and dumping about COVID when the whole parliament seemed to agree on the strategy. I know….I was in Sweden….3 months right in the thick of it. It seems Anders Tegnell can try to shout from the top of his lungs Swedish strategy was never about herd immunity….no one in the foreign press seems to want to listen. Again…..France had more deaths than Sweden / 100 000 people. Every winter, french hospitals as Swedish or English are overwhelmed by flue cases. …….no one gives a hoot and people still die like flies. suddenly we are to roll on the floor and pull our hair because of Covid ? All of who died were at the end…almost…. of their life tether. We will see how many people will died or already did for undiagnosed or belated …..cancers….heart conditions …..or simply for having been driven to the brink of poverty. Be happy to have people like Anders Tegnell who have balls of steel and saved the day for you
Anonymous 2021/06/21 23:01
Tough decisions ? Humour me ! Have a look at what happened in France with a lockdown that brought the population to the brink of madness and depression. At least…..a sort of normal life has been maintained in Sweden with less deaths / 100 000 than France that scores above 100 000 deaths……average age 82 years old…..above of the French life expectancy. Same in Sweden. Be glad you didn’t have to be locked in your apartment having to sign a silly and degrading paper to show to the police to go and buy your lunch
  • Anonymous 2021/06/22 09:32
    Are you claiming Swedens death and hospitalistaions rates would not have been improved with firmer response? Or that the cost was worth it to maintain the your freedoms? It really has to be either. Wondering also how you explain the amazing coincidence of infection rates and hospitalisions reducing following crisis lock down measures taken in multiple countries at key times? Italy.. UK recently.. Vietnam.. New Zealand... Australia... France... would they have been better just to let it go? Herd immunity perhaps? Take the 2% hit on population? Watch what happens when Delta sweeps across Sweden this Autumn. Lets hope the hospital beds last because frankly I don't see a lot of crisis management and huge push for vaccinations; if the UK is worrried... then what do you think is about to happen to a country with half the vaccination rate.
Anonymous 2021/06/21 16:13
So to be clear here.. the nearing 15 thousand deaths and inability of this Gov to take responsibility and tough descions during a pandemic was not the problem... that the opposition and Sweden apparently has confidence in... it was the rent that really upset them..

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