At a press conference at 10.15 today, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S) announced his resignation following last week’s vote of no confidence. “This is the most difficult political decision I have taken,” he said, underlining that his priority had been to make the decision that was “in Sweden’s best interest” and that meant not calling a snap election during the ongoing pandemic.

The Speaker of the Riksdag, Andreas Norlén (M), will now begin the assignment of finding the candidate for prime minister with the greatest chance of forming a government that has the confidence of the Riksdag. He will now hold interview rounds with representatives of the parties in the Riksdag – so called talmansrundor.

The Speaker’s proposal for prime minister is then put to a vote in the Riksdag Chamber. If more than half of the members of the Riksdag vote against the proposal, it is rejected. Otherwise, it is approved. If the proposal is rejected, the Speaker will talk to the party leaders again and present a new proposal. The Speaker has four opportunities to do this. If the Riksdag rejects all proposals for a new prime minister, an extraordinary election will be held within three months, in addition to the September 2022 elections.

The Löfven administration will now carry on as a caretaker government. A caretaker government manages routine matters and cannot take any new political initiatives.