The Swedish right on Wednesday won a new two-day deadline to form a government with unprecedented support from the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD), a month after winning general elections. Ulf Kristerson, expected prime minister and leader of the conservative moderate party, expressed hope that discussions could be concluded on Monday with a view to holding a parliamentary vote to choose a head of government.
“In principle, we are absolutely ready for what we want to do and we are going to form the government in the coming days,” he announced at a press conference. “There are certain details that we would like to see to provide everything in one block,” he said, justifying his request for an extension.
It was presented to him by the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Andreas Norlen. The latter has set a new deadline of 11 am on Friday, he said in a statement. If this date is agreed, delegates will vote on the election of Ulf Kristerson as prime minister on Monday. The latter was officially charged with forming the government on 19 September. Negotiations took longer than expected.
read more: In Sweden, the far right is emerging as a major political force
Far right in majority, but not in government
The most likely scenario is a government of Ulf Kristerson’s moderates and his Christian Democratic allies. They are ready to govern with the support of the SDs in parliament but without them in government. Jimmy Akesson’s SD, the biggest winners in the September 11 election with 20.5% of the vote, will become the biggest force with 73 seats in a new majority. By including the moderates (68 seats), the Christian Democrats (19) and the liberals (16), the “star” of the right has an absolute majority of 176 seats. Against 173 for the opposition led by outgoing Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s Social Democrats.
The main uncertainty concerns the presence in the government of the Liberals, the third party of the traditional right and the most politically distant from the SD. Never before has the Swedish right agreed to govern with the support of the Sweden Democrats in the Riksdag.
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