VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE: Sweden’s Prime Minster Impeached

“But the job of prime minister could fall to Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderates. The new speaker of the parliament, Andreas Norlen, is also a member of the Moderates, confirmed in the position on Monday with the support of SD.”

Sweden’s prime minister Stefan Lofven will have to stand down after losing the support of parliament.

The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats (SD) backed the vote to remove him, weeks after a general election that delivered a hung parliament.

In Tuesday’s dramatic vote, 204 MPs voted against Mr Lofven while 142 voted in favour.

Parliament’s speaker will now propose a new leader – a process that could take weeks.

Mr Lofven is expected to stay on as the caretaker prime minister while his replacement is decided on.

What happens next?

Mr Lofven, the leader of the centre-left Social Democrats, came to power in 2014. His centre-left alliance won 144 seats in this month’s election, one more than the centre-right opposition.

Neither of the main blocs intends to govern with the nationalist SD, the third-largest party in the new parliament.

But the job of prime minister could fall to Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderates. The new speaker of the parliament, Andreas Norlen, is also a member of the Moderates, confirmed in the position on Monday with the support of SD.

While Mr Kristersson is widely seen as the person most likely to form a new government, others may be invited to do so if he fails – including Mr Lofven himself.

The Genius Media