Motion of censure against Swedish Prime Minister Löfven

Sweden is governed by a red-green minority that depends on the votes of the Left Party.

This has now withdrawn the Prime Minister's confidence - the right-wing camp is seizing the opportunity.

Stockholm (dpa) - The Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has to face a vote of no confidence at the beginning of next week.

The vote will take place on Monday at 10 a.m., as Parliament President Andreas Norlén said on Thursday.

The right-wing populist Sweden Democrats had previously submitted a motion of censure against Löfven. Several opposition parties, including the Sweden Democrats, the Left Party, the Christian Democrats and the Moderates, have announced that they will vote against Löfven. Together there is a parliamentary majority to overthrow the red-green government.

The Left Party, which has so far supported Löfven on many issues, had previously withdrawn its trust in the head of government in the course of a rent dispute. According to their chairman Ebba Busch, the Christian Democrats are bothered by the government’s actions against crime and unemployment. The moderates, who traditionally represent the strongest force in the Reichstag in Stockholm alongside Löfven's Social Democrats, accuse him of similar things. "Sweden has been developing in the wrong direction for several years," said party leader Ulf Kristersson on Instagram. The moderates wanted to change the government and bring Sweden on a new course.

Löfven criticized the four parties for their approach.

Sweden is in a serious situation in view of the pandemic, he said at a press conference in the afternoon.

To plunge the country into a political crisis in this situation is not the responsibility of the parties involved.

It is a dangerous path that the Left Party has taken together with the right-wing conservative camp.

When asked what he would do if he overturned the vote, Löfven said he had two options in the case: to call new elections or to apply for dismissal.

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Message from the President of the Parliament (in Swedish)