Sweden has still not formed a government following September’s national election, with former Prime Minister and Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven giving up his attempt at building a new coalition.
Migrant crisis era leader Mr Löfven gave up his attempt to continue as the leader of the Swedish government Monday, bringing the prospect of a snap election closer as no other parties have been able to come to an agreement either, Sveriges Radio reports.
“In light of the responses I have had so far… the possibility does not exist for me to build a government that can be accepted by parliament,” Löfven said.
Swedish political commentator Fredrik Furtenbach said that the Social Democrat leader has attempted, but failed, to pull the Centre Party and the Liberals away from their alliance with the Conservative Moderates and the Christian Democrats.
He added that the Centre Party leader Annie Lööf could be tasked with forming a new government now the Social Democrats have failed, or that Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson could make a second attempt.
The election, which occurred seven weeks ago, saw major gains for the populist, anti-mass migration Sweden Democrats and despite a majority of Moderate Party politicians being open to talks with the party, Kristersson has resisted calls to work with them.
Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson has also put his name forward saying that he could attempt to form a government. Åkesson said that he would reach out to the Moderates and the Christian Democrats for support, if given the chance, but added that he was also open to talking to the Liberals and Centre Party, as well.
Without a coalition deal, Sweden could see a snap election in which Åkesson’s party could see another boost in support, while Moderate Party speaker of the Swedish parliament Andreas Norlen said: “A snap election would be a big defeat for the Swedish political system.”
The Sweden Democrats have seen surges in support since the Europe Migrant Crisis, which saw Sweden receive proportionally more migrant arrivals than any other European nation. Rising levels of crime and social unrest have followed, critics say, and the issues of migration and crime have been top concerns in recent votes.