Sweden Elects Andersson First Female PM for Second Time
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Magdalena Andersson, the head of Sweden's Social Democrats, has been elected Sweden's Prime Minister for the second time in less than a week, after resigning last Wednesday, a few hours after being appointed.
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Leader of Social Democrats Magdalena Andersson (AP)
The Swedish parliament chose Magdalena Andersson as Prime Minister on Monday, making her the country's first female to hold the position, after her initial candidacy lasted a few hours.
Although Sweden has held a reputation for advocating for gender equality, this is its first woman PM.
Andersson was forced to resign hours after her election last week, due to her budget failing to be approved by parliament, and the Green Party quitting her coalition government.
Sweden is mostly politically stable, with almost a century of Social Democrats ruling.
Andersson, who is outgoing finance minister, will now lead the government after former PM Stefan Lofven.
In Sweden, a candidate needs only to ensure less than 175 votes are against them and does not need a majority vote. 173 voted against Andersson, in comparison with the 101 that voted in her favor.
After the vote, Andersson divulged, "It was a big day last Wednesday, and it was a big day today," detailing that "I was perhaps more prepared for it to be emotional."
With an approval rate of 25%, the Social Democrats are facing their lowest-ever approval rating.
The opposition
Andersson's Social Democrats must take on Ulf Kristersson’s Moderate Party, which has conservative views aligning with that of the anti-immigration right-wing Sweden Democrats.
Following a 7 year tenure as prime minister, Stefan Lofven announced that he would leave his post ahead of the elections scheduled for September 2022, after being weakened by a political crisis at the beginning of the summer.
Magdalena Andersson was elected head of the Social Democratic Party on November 4, succeeding Lofven.
