The government of Sweden fell after losing a motion …

Swedish Prime Minister Social Democrat Stefan Lofven lost a vote of no confidence in parliament on Monday and now has one week to resign or call early elections.. The motion approved by 181 of the House’s 349 MPs is the first to lose a Swedish head of government and emerged last week, when the Left Party decided to withdraw its specific support for the executive headed by Lofven. The reason for the motion was a project, still preliminary, on a rent reform that the left refuses to touch, considering it as a pillar of the Swedish social model.

The no-confidence motion culminates in a process that began last Tuesday, when the Left Party gave the government 48 hours to withdraw or amend a bill to reform the rent law if it was to continue to rely on its support for the Chamber, decisive. for the majority. Proposal, contained in the government agreement signed by the Social Democrats and their coalition partners of the Green Party, offers free rents for new constructions and therefore more expensive rents.

The center-left coalition took the reins of the country in 2019 after four months of negotiations, but it was a minority government that did not control half plus one of the seats in parliament. To gain a majority, Lofven concluded specific support agreements with three other forces, including the Left Party.. The latter usually gives the government ultimatums, notably to protest against the easing of layoffs, but limited himself to doing so until MP Nooshi Dadgostar took over as party leader last October, toughening up the tone.

To overthrow the government, the ex-Communist Party aligned itself with right-wing formations, the Conservative Party of Christian Democrats and Moderate, and far-right democrats. After 11 unsuccessful motions of censure in the Scandinavian country, Lofven, who has stood out for his ability to survive political crises since coming to power on October 3, 2014, became the first head of government to be impeached by a vote of confidence.

“Placing Sweden in a serious political crisis right now is not what our country needs”Lofven argued at a press conference after the vote in parliament. “It is the country’s interest that is at stake” added the former union leader, without specifying whether he will resign or call new elections. If the Prime Minister resigns, the Speaker of Parliament will be responsible for opening negotiations with a party to find a new head of government, who could become Lofven again if a new political agreement is reached.