Sweden election: Stefan Löfven loses vote of confidence top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Political chaos awaits after the Swedish Parliament ousted Prime Minister Stefan Löfven today. The dramatic vote saw 204 MPs voted against Mr Löfven while just 142 voted in favour, sparking the ousting of the political leader. Today's shock debate has sparked further confusion among Swedes who hit the polls more than two weeks ago. This year’s election is one of the most complicated in Sweden's history, and comes amid Mr Löfven’s centre-left alliance won 144 seats in this month's election, only one more than the centre-right opposition. Neither of the main blocs held a majority after the final votes where counted and both blocs lost voters to former neo-Nazi party Sweden Democrats, who saw a massive surge in support and won 62 seats. So who will lead the Swedish Parliament now? Right now, it is not clear who will become the next Prime Minister. Stefan Löfven will continue to lead a transitional Government until a new one is in order, a process that could take weeks, if not months. SWEDEN ELECTION: 'DEATH THREATS AND ATTACKS' AT POLLING STATIONS Sweden election 2018: Stefan Lofven was ousted in the Swedish Parliament today Sweden election 2018: The Prime Minister lost a vote of confidence I think there is a good possibility I will continue as Prime Minister Stefan Löfven However, after the Prime Minister was ousted today he left the Swedish electorate with one key message: He is not ruling out that he will still be Sweden’s next Prime Minister. Mr Löfven told the Speaker of the Riksdag, Andreas Norlén: “I am at your disposal. I will continue to serve our country.” When asked if he believes he can still become Sweden’s Prime Minister for the next four years, the leftish politician said: “Yes. I think there is a good possibility I will continue as Prime Minister.” In Sweden, the Speaker of the Riksdag can propose new Governments up to four times. SWEDEN ELECTION: HOW THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN SWEDISH HISTORY Sweden election 2018: Ulf Kristersson will be approach by the Speaker of the Riksdag If deadlock persists, it would trigger a completely fresh election that must be held within three months. Mr Norlén is expected to meet the leaders of the eight parties represented in Sweden’s Parliament on Thursday and the next few days to determine who is best placed to try to piece together the country’s next government. Analysts predict Mr Norlén will first approach Ulf Kristersson, the leader of the Moderate party and the four-party opposition bloc the Alliance. However, without support from the anti-EU Sweden Democrats, Mr Kristersson is not looking at entering the doors of Rosenbad, the Prime Minister’s office, anytime soon. SWEDEN ELECTION: WHO ARE THE SWEDEN DEMOCRATS? Sweden election 2018: Jimmie Akesson, leader of SD saw a massive surge in support this election The Moderate Party received 59 of the mandates in the 349-seat Parliament after the election and in total his bloc received two seats less than Mr Löfven’s centre-left coalition. The Centre Party and Liberals, two of the four parties that comprise Kristersson’s Alliance have said they would quit the coalition if the Moderates and Christian Democrats strike a deal with the Sweden Democrats to get their support. So far neither the Moderates nor the Christian Democrats have waved and continues to state a collaboration with hardliners Sweden Democrats is not an option. Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the Sweden Democrat repeatedly said today that his party would not hesitate to bring down any government that did not give his party a say on policies touching on its core concerns of immigration, healthcare, pensions and crime. Sweden election 2018: Who will get they key to the PM's office is yet to be decided<doc-sep>Sweden's SVT public broadcaster reported first results giving the center-left Social Democrats first place with 28.4 percent of the vote. The Moderates are at 19.8 percent and the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) — a party with neo-Nazi roots — in third place with 17.6 percent. Sweden's left-wing governing bloc — made up of the Social Democrats, the Green Party and the Left Party — is at 40.6 percent, compared with 40.2 percent for the four-party center-right opposition led by the conservative Moderate Party. If the results stand, each of the two groups would take 143 of 349 seats, well short of the 175 needed for a majority. Polling ended at 8:00 pm (1800 UTC) and, most results came in before midnight (2200 UTC), but it may take weeks before a new government emerges. All updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) 2250: Social Democrat leader and Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said he would calmly work as premier over the next two weeks. He said regardless of the final outcome, the election should be the funeral for bloc politics. "The voters have made their choice, now it's up to all of us decent parties to wait for the final result and then negotiate (and) cooperate to move Sweden forward in a responsible way." 2150: With 84.5 percent of votes counted, the Social Democrats have 28.3 percent, according to SVT reports, the Moderates 19.8 percent and the Sweden Democrats 17.6 percent. 2130: The 300,000 votes from Swedes abroad, and people who cast their ballots late may play a key part in the result, which looks like it is going to be very close. The final tally will only be announced on Wednesday. 2110: As votes continue to be counted, the Social Democrats retain their lead but with a share reduced from the 31 percent they took in 2014, according to SVT television. Their alliance partners, the Greens, have also seen their share down from 6.9 percent in 2014 to only just above the 4 percent threshold needed to win seats in the Riksdag. 2010: Half of the votes have been counted: Here are the latest percentage figures, according to Sweden's SVT public broadcaster: Social Democrats: 28.1 Moderates: 19.3 Sweden Democrats: 17.9 Left Party: 8.1 Centre Party: 8.8 Christian Democrats: 6.4 Liberal Party: 5.4 Green Party: 4.4 2000: "Sweden, birthplace of multiculturalism and model for the left, has finally decided to change after years of wild, uncontrolled immigration," Italy's far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, said on Twitter. "Now they are also saying 'no' to this Europe of bureaucrats and speculators, 'no' to illegals, 'no' to Islamic extremism." 1955: More than 2,000 of 6,004 constituencies have counted their votes. 1945: Green Party MP Maria Ferm has told Radio Sweden her party risks falling below the 4 percent threshold needed to have a seat assigned in the Swedish parliament. An SVT exit poll put the Green Party at 4.2 percent of the vote. 1930: SVT has announced the Swedish Democrats got 41 percent of the vote in the district of Stalldalen. Meanwhile, the country's election commission website is down, reportedly because of heavy traffic. 1800: An exit poll by SVT put the center-left Social Democrats in first place with 26.2 percent of the vote. The Sweden Democrats in second place with 19.2 percent, and the Moderates at 17.8 percent. The final results are expected before midnight (2200 UTC). 1730: Some 38 percent of Swedes decided who they would vote for today or during the last week, according to a ValU exit poll by public broadcaster SVT. While 41 percent said they have changed their vote since the last parliamentary elections four years ago. 1620: Members of the Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR), a right-wing extremist group, reportedly entered polling stations in Boden, Ludvika and Kungalv. They tried to take photos of voters, ballot papers and journalists, according to the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper. 1520: Opinion polls suggest the far-right Sweden Democrats could garner between 16 and 25 percent of the vote. That would make it one of the biggest parties, also making it difficult to predict the make-up of the next government. "Everything suggests we're going to have a good election," SD leader Jimmie Akesson told news agency TT after voting in Stockholm. 1400: Latest opinion polls suggest the ruling center-left Social Democrats, led by Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, will lose a substantial number of parliamentary seats, but that they would still win ahead of the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats whose popularity has steadily risen since the last election in 2014. 1240: This will be the first election since Sweden's government in 2015 allowed 163,000 migrants into the country. While far less than what Germany took in that year, it was the most per capita of any European nation. Roughly 7.5 million registered voters will choose from almost 6,300 candidates for a four-year term in the 349-seat Riksdag, or parliament. It's highly unlikely that any single party will manage to get a majority, or 175 seats. 1140: One voter, Vicki R., who lives outside of Stockholm in one of the wealthiest areas of the country, told DW she finds that there is a lot of support for the Moderates and noted that while Sweden always has high voter turn out, voters also turn out for local issues and that could push voter turn out even higher today. 0830: Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has cast his ballot and shared a few words with the press. "This election is about decency, and we stand for decency," he said before once again dismissing the Sweden Democrats as a racist party. 0730: Liberal Party leader Jan Bjorklund and the Center Party's Annie Loof have reiterated that they will not go into negotiations with the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) following Sunday's vote. A high vote for the SD, which is expected to claim around 20 percent, could see it have a huge bearing on who ultimately comes out on top. Speaking to Swedish public broadcaster SVT, Loof did admit that the center-right Alliance might need to win the backing of at least one of the left-wing parties if it is to get into power.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox The decision has sent shockwaves through the EU as most believed they were through the worst of the instability within the EU after turmoil in Spain and then Italy. Voters delivered a hung parliament in the Sept. 9 election with Lofven's centre-left bloc garnering 144 seats, one more than the centre-right opposition Alliance. The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, with 62 seats, also backed the vote to remove Lofven. Analysts expect the speaker to pick Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderate Party - the biggest Alliance party - to try to form a new government. But with the Alliance in a minority, he needs support either from the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, shunned by all sides since the party entered parliament in 2010, or the centre left.<doc-sep>Sweden's prime minister will be stripped of his position after losing a vote of no confidence on Tuesday, as the country grapples with a hung parliament and a surge in support for a radical nationalist party in elections earlier this month. Stefan Lofven, the leader of the Social Democratic Party who has been prime minister for four years, will continue in a caretaker role until a new government can be formed that has the command of the Riksdag. Mr Lofven lost the vote as Sweden's centre-right parties joined forces with the hard-Right Sweden Democrats party to vote against him - an unprecedented move in Swedish politics that will lead to weeks of uncertainty. Swedish MPs voted 204-142 against Lofven, while three abstained. The vote was mandatory after the September 9 election delivered a hung parliament. Though the hard-Right Sweden Democrats made major gains in the election, securing 17.5 per cent of the vote, all mainstream parties in the Riksdag have refused to join forces with the group, citing its neo-Nazi roots.<doc-sep>
Swedish lawmakers held a mandatory vote on Tuesday on whether parliament continued to support Prime Minister Lofven following an election on September 9 which resulted in a hung parliament. The vote essentially throws the country's political establishment into tumult and could lead to a center-right coalition taking control of government, propped up by the far-right Sweden Democrats. Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has been ousted from the government after losing a vote of confidence in parliament Tuesday. Among Sweden's 349 members of parliament, 204 lawmakers voted "no" to Lofven remaining in his position, Reuters reported Tuesday morning. No one abstained, 142 voted in favour of Lofven remaining in the job and three members of parliament were absent. The vote comes two weeks after an inconclusive election whose result rocked the country's political establishment. Neither of the two main political coalitions in Sweden – that of Lofven's center-left grouping or the center-right Alliance -- gained a majority. Making matters worse for Sweden's more liberal politicians, the election saw the far-right Sweden Democrats party increase its share of the vote, becoming something of a "kingmaker" in the formation of a new coalition government. Lofven, leader of the Social Democrats and the country's prime minister since October 2014, was leading a caretaker government whilst negotiations took place between the parties to form a new coalition government. He refused to work with the Sweden Democrats, who in turn backed the center-right Alliance coalition in a confidence motion against the prime minister. Following the vote of confidence result, Lofven warned that an Alliance-led government would be dependent on the Sweden Democrats for support. The Alliance were defiant ahead of the confidence vote, however. "Today, after the election, we're doing what we promised before the election," the Moderates' Ulf Kristersson, leader of the largest party in the centre-right Alliance opposition, told parliament ahead of the vote, Swedish English news outlet, The Local, reported Tuesday. "To the Alliance it is obvious that Sweden needs a new government," Kristersson added. The Social Democrats (Lofven's party), Greens and Left voted for Löfven, unsurprisingly, while the Alliance which is made up of four center-right parties - the Moderates, the Centre party, the Liberal People's Party and Christian Democrats -- voted against him, along with the Sweden Democrats, The Local reported. WATCH: These are America's five richest presidents