Magdalena Andersson becomes Sweden’s first female Prime Minister. The parliament of the northern European country has cleared the way for her nomination.
Finance Minister Andersson received the support of 117 MPs in a confidence vote. 57 abstained, and 174 voted against. To torpedo her appointment, a majority of MPs would have had to vote against it. Her opponents were one vote short.
The 54-year-old Social Democrat secured sufficient to support this week by signing a deal with the Left Party. However, she promised not to block her appointment after promises were made about increasing pensions. Andersson is expected to present her government on Friday.
The politician will then succeed her party colleague Stefan Löfven. He announced his departure this month after seven years in power. However, he gave his successor time to prepare for the national elections at the end of 2022. Andersson is expected to face a difficult period politically because her government does not have a majority in parliament.
Although Sweden is internationally known as a frontrunner in gender equality, the country has never had a female prime minister. The situation is different in Northern European countries such as Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. However, there has already been a woman at the head of the government.
