HELSINKI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Swedish Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen on Friday tasked Social Democratic Party leader and former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson with exploring the prospects for forming a new government.
Norlen made the announcement after holding separate consultations with representatives of the parliamentary parties as part of the process of finding a new prime minister.
Earlier on Friday, Andersson told Swedish media that she had told the speaker that she was ready to begin work on forming a new government and would hold broad talks with party leaders if given the mandate.
Andersson also said she wanted to lead Sweden in a spirit of broad cooperation. "Party politics should be set aside, and Sweden and the Swedish people should come first," she was quoted as saying.
Andersson served as Sweden's prime minister from November 2021 to October 2022 and was the country's first female prime minister.
Preliminary election results show that the Social Democrats, Left Party, Centre Party and Green Party together secured 176 seats in the 349-seat parliament. Meanwhile, the Moderate Party, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and Liberals, which backed the outgoing government, won a combined 173 seats.
However, Andersson faces significant differences among the four opposition parties over the composition of a new government, Swedish media have reported.
Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist reiterated on Friday that her party would not join a government together with the Left Party, while saying it could govern with the Social Democrats and the Greens.
Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar, meanwhile, said the Social Democrats, Left Party and Greens could begin government negotiations without the Centre Party if necessary.
Outgoing Prime Minister and Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson announced his resignation on Thursday after preliminary election results showed that the four parties backing his government had lost their parliamentary majority. His government will continue in a caretaker capacity until a new government takes office.
Sweden held its parliamentary election on Sept. 13. The newly elected parliament will convene for the first time on Sept. 28 and elect a speaker. A candidate for prime minister can be formally proposed to parliament from Sept. 29 at the earliest. ■