Sweden’s prime minister, Stefan Löfven, lost a confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday after the far-right Sweden Democrats backed the center-right opposition Alliance’s bid to oust the Social Democrats. After the vote, Löfven told parliament he would still be willing to serve as prime minister and “lead a government that enjoys broad support in Sweden’s parliament.”

He will continue at the helm of a caretaker government while the newly-elected speaker of the Riksdag, Andreas Norlén from the Moderates, leads talks towards forming the next government. Image copyright AFP Image caption Stefan Lofven waved as he and his wife Ulla arrived at the Swedish parliament on Tuesday

Sweden's centre-left prime minister, Stefan Lofven, will have to stand down after losing the support of parliament. Löfven’s defeat in the confidence vote, when 204 MPs voted against him versus 142 votes in favor, means the speaker of parliament must now broker talks to form a new government. Elections on September 9th left neither of Sweden's main blocs with an absolute majority, with just one seat separating the centre-left (Social Democrats and the Green Party) and the centre-right Alliance (Moderate Party, Centre Party, Christian Democrats, and Liberals). The far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party obtained 62 seats, making it a key player when it comes to propping up a stable government, although both the left-leaning and conservative blocs have voiced their refusal to involve them in any deal.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven loses a vote of confidence in parliament.