Who’ll yield first in Sweden’s political chicken race?

Magdalena Andersson was acclaimed as the winner of Sweden’s election. Four parties – adding up to a majority – said they wanted her to be prime minister, and she was charged by the speaker with forming a government. Yet on Monday she threw in the towel.

The immediate pretext was the decision by the Left Party to support the re-election of speaker Andreas Norlén, a Moderate, over the Social Democrats’ own candidate.

But it followed two weeks in which Andersson had failed to get the Centre Party, Left Party and Greens to so much as take a cup of coffee with each other.

Now it’s up to the speaker to find someone else willing to have a go.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

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Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

Politics

• Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson abandons attempt to form a government
• Strategy or spite? Why is Magda giving up on forming Sweden's next government?
• EXPLAINED: What needs to happen for Sweden to get a new prime minister?
• From the obvious to the unthinkable: Nine options for Sweden's government

Brexit

• 'But what are the rules?': My interview with the Swedish Migration Agency's legal chief

Thumbnail photo: Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar and Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist take part in a party leader discussion hosted by RFSL during Stockholm Pride. Photo: Stefan Jerrevång/TT

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