Swedes elect first female prime minister – for the second time in a week

Magdalena Andersson, who last week became Sweden’s first female prime minister for just a few hours, before resigning because a budget defeat made a coalition partner quit, has been elected again as head of government.

In a 101 -173 vote with 75 abstentions, the 349-seat Riksdag elected Ms Andersson, leader of the Social Democrats, as prime minister on Monday.

She will form a one-party, minority government. The Cabinet is expected to be named on Tuesday.

Ms Andersson served as prime minister for seven hours before stepping down last week after the Greens left her two-party coalition.

Their move followed the rejection of her government’s budget proposal in favour of one presented by opposition parties including the rightwing populist Sweden Democrats, which is rooted in a neo-Nazi movement.

Under the Swedish constitution, prime ministers can govern as long as a parliamentary majority — a minimum of 175 MPs — is not against them.