On Monday, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced that he had submitted his notice of resignation, allowing the parliament’s speaker to find a new premier. The announcement comes after the Social Democrat leader lost a vote of no-confidence last week in the parliament after the Left party withdrew his support. The affair triggered rushed talks as both sides of the political spectrum tried to line up enough support to form a government. On June 21, Lofven had until midnight to find fresh backing in the parliament, however, he instead chose to resign.
Lofven is a former union boss and welder and has headed a fragile minority coalition with the Greens since 2018, relying on support from small center-right parties and the Left Party to remain in power in Sweden. The center-left and center-right blocs are now evenly balanced in parliament. Opinion polls have shown that a general election may maintain this balance. After an inconclusive election in 2018, it took Lofven four months to form a government.
Read More: Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven resigns in wake of no-confidence vote
