RE: PM Facing defeat21 Jun 2021 11:27
Swedish PM Lofven ousted in parliament no-confidence vote
Global21 minutes ago (Jun 21, 2021 10:00)
Swedish PM Lofven ousted in parliament no-confidence vote © Reuters. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven attends a digital news conference in Stockholm, Sweden June 20, 2021. TT News Agency/Lars Schroder via REUTERS
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's parliament voted to oust Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in a no-confidence motion on Monday, giving the Social Democrat leader a week to either resign and hand the speaker the job of finding a new government, or call a snap election.
The nationalist Sweden Democrats had seized the chance to call the vote last week after the formerly communist Left Party withdrew its support for centre-left government over a plan to ease rent controls for new-build apartments.
Lofven's shaky minority coalition with the Green Party has relied on support in parliament from two small centre-right parties and the Left Party since a tight election in 2018.
With parliament deadlocked, it is not clear to whom the speaker could turn to form a new administration, while opinion polls suggest the centre-left and centre-right blocs are evenly balanced, meaning an snap election might not bring clarity.
A new government - or a caretaker regime - would only sit until a general election scheduled for September next year. It is the first time a Swedish prime minister has ever been ousted by a no-confidence motion put forward by the opposition.