Stefan Löfven voted back in as Swedish prime minister after losing confidence vote and handing in resignation

Löfven has been narrowly reappointed as prime minister of Sweden by the parliament, only a week after he handed in his resignation after losing a historic no-confidence vote linked to housing policy.

Stefan Löfven was able to reclaim his position as prime minister of Sweden on Wednesday when the parliament gave him another chance. The vote, however, was extremely slim as Löfven avoided losing by two votes. Voting in favor of the resigned leader or abstaining were 176 members of parliament, a tally that allows him to avoid an absolute majority in opposition.

The PM had stepped down from his post on June 28 after losing a no-confidence vote, which makes him the first leader of Sweden to ever be ousted in such a way. An alternative to resignation could have been holding a snap election. However, the Social-Democrat leader claimed that leaving office was “the best option right now” for Sweden, with the country’s next general election due to take place in September 2022.

Löfven’s political downfall proved to be the country’s housing crisis. He advocated for rent controls, as many Swedes struggle to rent due to accommodation shortages, with the average wait time for properties being almost a decade. Opponents of the proposed reform insisted that any changes to the system would lead to an out-of-control rise in rents.

Löfven has headed the Swedish government since 2014. However, a close election in 2018 meant that it took four months to form a government after his party won 40.6% of the vote, edging out the center-right party, which won 40.2%.

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