Sweden's First Female Prime Minister Resigns Hours After Taking Office

Sweden's first female Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson, has resigned just hours after taking office. This was reported by the state broadcaster SVT.

The Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) elected her as the new head of government on the morning of November 24, following the resignation of her party colleague Stefan Löfven.

Andersson was leading a coalition government formed by the Greens and the Social Democratic Workers' Party. On her first working day in Parliament, hearings on the budget took place. During the discussions, the centrist party that supported the government withdrew from the budget talks, after which the proposal from the right-wing opposition automatically gained a majority of votes and was approved by Parliament.

Following this, the Greens opted to no longer work under such a budget and left the coalition, which already necessitates the Prime Minister's resignation in Sweden.

Andersson told the Speaker of Parliament that she is willing to lead a single-party government if she is reelected in the Riksdag. “For me, it is a matter of respect. I do not want to lead a government whose legitimacy could be questioned,” she said.

Andersson is not only Sweden's first female Prime Minister but also has been the country’s Minister of Finance since 2014, becoming the first woman to hold this position in government.