Magdalena Andersson re-elected as Sweden's PM

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The Swedish parliament once again elected Magdalena Andersson as the country's prime minister on Monday, after she was elected and later resigned last week.

In order to be re-elected, Andersson only needed a majority of the 349 members of Parliament to not vote against her. She was backed by 101, while 173 voted against her and 75 abstained, making her government the weakest since 1978.

However, 54-year-old Andersson told a press conference she was confident that her Social Democrat minority government was viable.

"We have a long tradition of cooperation with other parties and are prepared to do what is required to move Sweden forward."

She also said her government would prioritize three areas: social welfare, the green transformation, and tackling social segregation.

Andersson will announce her new cabinet on Tuesday, and the new government will be formally appointed on the same day in a meeting with the King of Sweden.

The Swedish Parliament approved Andersson as prime minister last Wednesday, but she stepped down seven hours later when coalition partners the Green Party decided to leave her government because the Parliament passed the opposition's budget.

Monday's vote was also the third time this year the Parliament has had to appoint a prime minister. In July, it re-appointed Stefan Lofven after having ousted him in a no-confidence vote.

Last Wednesday's session came after Lofven stepped down as leader of the Social Democrats and was replaced by Andersson, who since 2014 has served as Minister for Finance in his government.

Sweden's political turbulence is a consequence of the inconclusive result of its 2018 election. Some parties are also doing their utmost to block ideological opponents from exerting any influence.

For years Sweden had two blocs: one consisting of the Social Democrats and the Green Party, with the passive support of the Left Party, and one liberal-conservative bloc consisting of the Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats, the Liberal Party, and the Center Party. Anti-immigration party the Sweden Democrats were left on the sidelines.

Following the stalemate of the 2018 elections, the Social Democrats and the Green Party formed a government with the passive support of the Centre Party and the Liberal Party, who wanted to shut the Sweden Democrats out. The ruling coalition also had to make several concessions to appease the other two parties.

This came to an end earlier this year, which led to Lofven becoming the first Swedish prime minister to be ousted.

However, Sweden's political map was recently redrawn when the Moderate Party and the Christian Democrats announced their intention to form a conservative government with the support of the Sweden Democrats. Andersson's government will now have to deal with the budget proposal put forward by this coalition, which was passed last week.

The Liberal Party has announced they will support such a conservative government, while the Center Party has vowed to continue denying the Sweden Democrats any influence. The Center Party's stance towards the Left Party is the same.

Meanwhile, the remaining parties, including Andersson's Social Democrats, are not expected to present a common government alternative ahead of the next election, scheduled for September 2022.

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