COALITION NEGOTIATIONS
Sweden’s turn as right-wingers hold balance of power in stalemate
Stockholm — Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven lost a no-confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday, with the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats threatening to block a new government unless they are given a say in policy. The rise of the far right across Europe has forced many traditional parties into an uncomfortable choice of sharing power with populist forces or reaching out to long-standing opponents to keep them out. Sweden, long a bastion of liberal values and political stability, now faces the same choice with its centre-left and centre-right blocs evenly balanced after the September 9 poll. "Now the excitement will really start," said Ulf Bjereld, political scientist at Gothenburg University. "The parties will have to show their true colours." The Sweden Democrats have been shunned by other parties since entering parliament in 2010, making a tie-up unlikely. New election But if there is no viable government after four attempts by the speaker, a new election will have to be c...
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