Sweden will probably get the first female prime minister after Prime Minister Stefan Löfven resigns
Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven resigned on Wednesday, paving the way for Magdalena Andersson to succeed him and become the country’s first female prime minister.
Andersson, 54, the current Minister of Finance, was elected last week to lead the ruling Swedish Social Democratic Party ahead of the general elections scheduled for September 2022. She will be the country’s prime minister if she wins a vote in the Riksdag next week.
While Sweden has been a hallmark of gender equality, no woman has led the country so far. By comparison, all other Nordic countries, including Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, have seen women heads of government.
To secure her confirmation, the Swedish Social Democrats need support from both their environmental parties and the left and center parties. AFP. The Left and Center parties said on Wednesday that they will support Andersson next week.
Mr Lofven, 63, who will remain as caretaker Prime Minister until he is replaced, told reporters that he expects Parliament to elect Ms Andersson smoothly. “The Swedish people want a quick transition,” he said.
Lofven was elected by the Swedish Social Democrats in 2012 and led to victory in the 2014 parliamentary elections, when the party came to power after eight years in opposition.
“It has been seven fantastic years, and I am very proud as a working boy to have had the privilege of leading our country during these years,” he said after resigning on Wednesday.
In June, he became the country’s first prime minister to lose a vote of confidence in parliament. However, he managed to form a coalition government similar to the previous one and avoided a quick election.
He had said in August that he would resign in November to give his successor time to prepare for the upcoming election.
But the Swedish Social Democrats’ return to power may not go as smoothly because they are facing low approvals before the elections. In recent years, the Moderates have come closer to the Swedish Social Democrats.
The Social Democrats currently hold 100 of the Riksdag’s 349 seats.