Magdalena Andersson has become Sweden’s first female prime minister, taking office with promises to tackle gang crime and preserve the country’s cherished welfare state.

Andersson, 54, won a vote in parliament, which means that she will formally take power on Friday.

It was the last obstacle to the post of prime minister after she was elected leader of the Social Democratic Party, the largest group in the Riksdag.

She received support from green and left-wing groups in the Riksdag after promising to help struggling pensioners and make Sweden a role model in climate policy.

Another bloc, the Center Party, said it would allow Andersson’s confirmation to go through to prevent a right-wing government from taking power with the support of the populist Sweden Democrats.

With 117 votes in favor of Andersson and 57 abstentions, she fulfilled the requirement that there should be no majority against her in the Riksdag.

But the Center Party said they would not support a budget presented by Andersson’s partners, which clouded the picture for the new government.

Andersson was Minister of Finance under the resigning leader Stefan Lofven, who announced in August that he would not lead the Social Democrats into the 2022 election.

Sweden’s strong finances have been honored to have helped the country cope with the covid-19 pandemic, where it has broken the ranking with most of Europe by avoiding shutdowns and putting some weight on face masks.

Andersson has promised to leave “no stone unturned” to put an end to violence in gangs, in what the authorities say is the only country in Europe with steadily increasing deaths in arms.

Gang violence has killed dozens of people this year, with rival gangsters using weapons and explosives to make amends.

“We need a full-scale mobilization to regain control of gangs holding entire neighborhoods hostage,” she said last month.

Although Sweden has long fought for gender equality, it was the only Nordic country that previously did not have a female prime minister.

“A glass roof has cracked and Sweden has received a new excellent and strong PM. A fantastic day “, said Ylva Johansson, the country’s EU Commissioner.

Updated: 24 November 2021, 10:19