Magdalena Andersson

Sweden's election result exposes the limits of parliamentary arithmetic.

Sweden's parliament has given social democratic leader Magdalena Andersson a second attempt to form a government after her first effort collapsed, despite the center-left holding a narrow 176-173 advantage in parliament.

The renewed mandate begins on the 5th of October 2026 and will end with a parliamentary vote after Andersson reports back by the 12th.

The significance lies in the gap between winning more seats and assembling a workable governing coalition.

Let's get on with the business of the day, because there's been a lot happening in Sweden this week, as there has been for the last few weeks, and as probably there will be for many more weeks to come.

Because Magdalena Andersson, she 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.

No, and that's the thing.

I think nobody has any idea what's going to happen.

But this week, as we said, Magdalena Andersson threw in the towel.

She said, look, I've tried.

They did really, really well.

So Magdalena Andersson, who was the last, she was the first female Swedish prime minister.

She was the leader of the last Social Democratic government that led Sweden into NATO, which I think Olof Palme was turning in his grave across the street on Sveavägen 68 when I was there, when they were announcing this.

But she now has to put together a government out of these four parties, right? The Social Democrats will be the biggest party in any government, but the Center have said that they don't want to go into a government with the communists or the former communists.

But they've had to eat crow for the last while, while they've been put on this path.

Now, this is why Magdalena...

If Ulf Kristersson was the worst Swedish prime minister in living memory, former or the moderate prime minister who just resigned today, right? Magdalena Andersson is probably the weakest prime minister right now because her government, uh, forming capabilities are gonna be tested to the extreme, right? But there's lots of people there who are saying, "Look at, we just had our worst election.

We didn't mention the word solidarity once.

Thank you.

Now, Swedish Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson has abandoned efforts to form a leftist four-party government.

The breakdown leaves Sweden without a new government more than two weeks after the election.

It also opens the door for the outgoing conservative bloc to remain in power if they can form a working coalition.

Israeli media say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled secretly to the United Arab Emirates to meet its president on Sunday.

The news comes amid an uproar over an Israeli report that the UAE leader warned Mr Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major operation shortly before the 7th of October attacks.

The BBC understands that Turkish prosecutors may have dropped their demands for a custodial sentence in the trial of a popular comedian who was accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a stand-up routine.

The reasons for the decision are not yet clear.

The leader of Sweden's Social Democratic Party, Magdalena Andersson, has failed to form a government, despite her centre-left bloc's narrow victory in elections earlier this month.

Sweden's outgoing prime minister may now be asked to form a new government despite his election defeat.

Human rights groups are urging the Nigerian authorities to declare a public health emergency after as many as six prisoners died following a suspected cholera outbreak at Kamawa Prison in Kano State.

We will follow this up on the site, so keep your eyes out there.

So on the subject of the new government, Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson was asked last week by the Speaker to try and form a new government, an invitation she accepted.

And the four left of centre parties, as we were saying, have a majority, albeit a slim one.

So, Emma, prior to this scandal breaking out, how were negotiations or pre-negotiations going in this?