Sweden’s first female prime minister resigns hours after being appointed

Swedish Social Democratic Party leader and newly appointed Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson is pictured during a press conference after the budget vote in the Swedish parliament in Stockholm on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. Hours after being tapped as Sweden’s prime minister, Andersson resigned Wednesday after suffering a budget defeat in parliament and coalition partner the Greens left the two-party minority government. | Pontus Lundahl, TT via AP

Magdalena Andersson resigned seven hours after being appointed leader of Sweden

On Wednesday, Magdalena Andersson was announced the prime minister but she resigned shortly after, according to BBC News.

• She resigned seven hours later because her budget failed to pass and her coalition partner, the Green Party, quit the government.
• Instead, the parliament voted on the budget for the opposition party, which is anti-immigration and far-right, per the report.
• ”For me, it is about respect, but I also do not want to lead a government where there may be grounds to question its legitimacy,” Andersson said, reported by NBC News.
• Her coalition partner could also not accept the budget drawn by the far-right.
• Andersson, who was a finance minister before her appointment, hopes to become the prime minister again but as a single-party government leader this time.

Per NBC News, Sweden has been Europe’s most progressive country but has never had a woman in a top political post.

• “If women are only allowed to vote but are never elected to the highest office, democracy is not complete,” said Amineh Kakabaveh, according to NBC News.

Speaker Andreas Norlen said he will contact all eight party leaders to discuss the situation and will announce future plans on Thursday, according to NPR.

The Green Party is prepared to stand behind Andersson in a new vote, even though it was the party’s best interest to pull support from her after the defeat on the proposed budget, the report stated.

Sweden’s first female prime minister resigns hours after being appointed
Source: Gabriella Pinoys