The Swedish Parliament elected on Wednesday (24) the social democrat Magdalena Andersson as the country’s new prime minister, the first woman to occupy the position of head of government of the Scandinavian nation — which must already face a budget crisis to to assume.
Andersson was until now finance minister in the government of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, who resigned after seven years in office.
After days of negotiation, the new prime minister received 117 votes in favour, 57 chose to abstain and 174 deputies voted against her name. In Sweden, a candidate for the post of head of government does not need majority support in Parliament for approval, just that the House majority (175 or more) does not vote against his name.
Only on Tuesday night (23), at the deadline, the 54-year-old economist and former swimmer reached an agreement with the Left Party, the last support she needed to reach the government.
Magdalena Andersson was elected less than a year before the next legislative elections, which will take place in September 2022. The challenge for the new prime minister will be to manage to keep the Social Democrats in power, at a time when the party registers its lowest rate approval history.
This Wednesday, however, the Center Party announced that it will not support the government Budget due to the agreement announced with the Left Party.
Thus, Andersson already suffers his first defeat before taking office and runs the risk of governing without the budget he prepared, but with a plan by the right-wing opposition, which has the support of the far right, and whose budget amendments include tax cuts. in oil and increased spending on the judiciary to fight crime.
Parliament is due to vote on the Budget later this afternoon. Despite the setback, Andersson played down the defeat. “I am of the opinion that this [o Orçamento] it’s something I can live with,” he said.
Löfven, who is leaving office, managed to form a minority coalition of the Social Democrats with the Greens, in addition to maintaining the support of the Left and Center parties. This complex balance has now collapsed, with the Center leaning to the right and wary of the growing influence of the Left Party.
“We cannot support the Budget of a government that is moving largely to the left,” said leader of the legend, Annie Loof.
The Green Party has said it will “consider its options” if the opposition locks in the budget.
Even if he manages to calm the base, Andersson will face a series of challenges. Violence has increased in most Swedish cities, with gang fights and shootings. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic also exposed gaps in the lauded Swedish welfare state, as the country did not establish national lockdown or mask virus containment measures.
There are also pressures for the government to accelerate the shift to a green economy, to achieve the goals of reducing pollutants and containing climate change.
Andersson becomes prime minister 100 years after women gained the right to vote in Sweden and 40 years after neighboring Norway elected the first woman to the job. “I know what this means for girls in our country,” he said. “I was also a girl in Sweden, and Sweden is the land of gender equality. I am deeply moved,” she told reporters.
Who is Magdalena Andersson, 54
- History and training: An elite swimmer in her youth, she graduated from the prestigious Stockholm School of Economics
- Career: Entered politics recruited by Prime Minister Goran Persson (1996-2006); he was deputy head of the Swedish tax agency between 2009 and 2012 and took over the Ministry of Finance in 2014
- Political situation: It takes less than a year to the next elections, with a weakened political coalition and no agreement to approve the Budget
- Challenges: It will face increased violence in big cities, the disaster of the pandemic and pressures to accelerate the transition to a green economy
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