Swedish opposition leader Andersson wins crucial backing to form govt

Stockholm, Sweden – Swedish opposition leader Magdalena Andersson gained vital backing on Sunday from the Centre Party, according to Swedish Radio, as they seek to form a new government, despite still needing to secure enough votes. The centre-left party, under Andersson's leadership, won a narrow majority in September's vote over the right-wing prime minister Ulf Kristersson's alternative, but has struggled to agree on power-sharing arrangements.

The Centre Party approached both the political left and right blocs on Friday, requesting them to outline their plans to win their support. However, they have now settled on backing the Social Democrats, provided Andersson can convince the Left Party to withdraw their demand for inclusion in the government. Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist confirmed this decision to Swedish Radio.

Andersson's plan involves forming a government with the Centre Party and the Greens, but this arrangement would also require the tacit approval of the far-left Left Party, who insist that they, too, must be part of the government to vote in favor of Andersson. The Centre Party has explicitly ruled out entering into a coalition with either the far-right Sweden Democrats or the Left Party, which has been accused of anti-Semitism.