Sweden’s eight main party leaders met with the Speaker of the Riksdag for the second round of talks today, in a bid to break the almost one-month long political deadlock.
The first round of talks on September 25 did not find Sweden a new Prime Minister after none of the parties arrived at a compromise and saw current Prime Minister Stefan Löfven losing a vote of confidence.
The dramatic vote sparked further confusion about who will form the next Government.
Tuesday’s talk was led by newly-elected parliamentary speaker Andreas Norlén who has given Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderate party and the centre-right bloc a go-ahead to start negotiations of forming a new Government.
The speaker said: “A great onus is now placed on the parties and party leaders to reconsider their previous positions and make it possible to form a government.”
Mr Norlén has four attempts to get parliament to agree to a new prime minister, and if he fails to do so a completely fresh election will be held.
The parliamentary speaker has given Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson two weeks to find common ground with other parties, but speaker for rival party Social Democrats Anders Ygeman thinks “it’s looking dark.”
He said: “Given what the other parties have previously said, Kristersson chances of forming a new Government is looking very dark.”
This comes amid Mr Löfven’s centre-left alliance won 144 seats in this month’s election, only one more than the centre-right opposition “The Alliance.”
The Centre Party and Liberals, two of the four parties that comprise Kristersson’s Alliance have said they would quit the coalition if the Moderates and Christian Democrats strike a deal with the Sweden Democrats to get their support.
But since the election, the centre-right bloc has pretended to be able to seize power regardless of election results, where the plan has been that the far-right extremists Sweden Democrats will let the centre-right bloc come to power without getting anything in return.
But according to Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson, that is not an option his party will stand for.
Mr Åkesson has repeatedly said he would not hesitate to bring down any Government that did not give his party a say on policies touching on its core concerns of immigration, healthcare, pensions and crime.
He said: “If Ulf Kristersson wants to be prime minister, it can only happen with my help.”
Both Löfven’s centre-left bloc and Kristersson have previously said they are prepared to strike a bipartisan compromise, allowing one side to form a minority government with the support of the other in parliament.
However, Löfven has said he believes his Social Democrats should be in charge of such a coalition.
Another question to be resolved is what role will be played by anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, which is the country’s third biggest group after they won 62 out of 349 seats in the election.
If the second attempt fails, experts believe the far-right Sweden Democrats, who are the third largest group, will be influential.
Both blocs have said they will not negotiate with the far-right party, although the Alliance’s Christian Democrats have said they would be prepared to do so if necessary.
But Swedish election expert Li Bennich-Björkman has said she believes Kristerssons will eventually eat humble pie and give the Sweden Democrats the influence they crave.
She said: “Kristersson has a big internal battle in his coalition.
“I think he will realise that the situation won’t be solved by the Alliance and will eventually turn to the Sweden Democrats.”