Sweden's Centre Party leader to explore forming government

Sweden's parliament speaker said on ‌Monday ​he has asked Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist to explore the grounds for the formation of a new government, ‌giving her one week to meet with other parties.

Last month's election gave the centre-left a narrow majority in parliament, but while all four opposition parties favour Social Democrats leader Magdalena ‌Andersson as prime minister, they do not agree on who should be part ‌of a new government. Thand Ringqvist will now explore a centrist alternative, Riksdag Speaker Andreas Norlen told a press conference, while adding that it was not clear who would become prime minister if the talks ⁠succeed.

"Different government ​options are also ⁠under discussion, though none appears to be making any clear progress, as far as I can tell," Norlen ⁠said. Thand Ringqvist, whose party was fifth-biggest in the election, said she would invite all party ​leaders for talks.

"My ambition is to contribute to a solution to the ⁠matter of government, not to become prime minister myself," she said in a post on X. Lawmakers on Thursday ⁠rejected ​Andersson's bid to form a minority cabinet, as widely expected, in the first of up to four votes before a fresh election must be called. Sweden ⁠last held an early election in 1958.

Thand Ringqvist has earlier raised the possibility of a "middle" ⁠government that would ⁠exclude both the Left Party and the far-right Sweden Democrats. Norlen said she is due to report back to him on October ‌26 at the ‌latest.